Aniela Preston graduated with her Fine Art BA at the University of Leeds in 2021 after completing her Foundation Diploma at Central Saint Martins. In 2022 she was selected as a finalist for the Ingram Prize, and most recently, she has been selected as a finalist for the Royal Society of British Artist’s 2023 Rome Scholarship. Aniela's paintings blend the contemporary with the classical in a hyper-realist style, offering both quiet glimpses into intimate moments and gesturing towards wider societal, political and environmental issues. Her paintings, therefore, not only provide social critique but draw on the concept of traditional formality that mythologises the mundane. Painting primarily in acrylic, she hopes her paintings are not just aesthetic objects but rather invitations to consider the impact of our actions.
Aniela's solo show 'Vanity' at Black White Gallery includes a number of unseen works by the praised emerging artist, each sensitively conveying contemporary societal states of mind. Placing her figures in often obscure and extraordinary scenes, she reflects on classical painting styles, sparking an appreciation of how forgotten and archaic forms can be reimagined and worked into contemporary spaces. As a result, her works invite introspection through a highly evocative presentation of what we consider natural, with themes moving in and out of the mortal world. Several works in the exhibition highlight current environmental threats to the natural world. By drawing parallels with biblical and mythological accounts Aniela hopes to inspire a sense of responsibility for the environment from the viewer.