Anya Paintsil, Anya or Anum, 2020

Total discombobulation, as embodied by Anya Paintsil. The Welsh-Ghanaian artist features in our latest Artists to Watch selection, spotlighting the art stars set to make waves in 2021. “There just aren’t many artists out there who manage to make work that’s as political as it is fun,” writes Charlotte Jansen of Paintsil’s expressive textile pieces. “The unique texture of her work comes from techniques like rug hooking and embroidery, and introduces cotton, real and synthetic hair, hessian and wool to speak materially about her dual heritage. Her images deal with the female gaze, personal relationships and collective prejudices, grounded in the specifics of her own experience, but resonating beyond them.”