Drunk Texts As Art

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Would we read out loud that drunk text we sent at 3am on Friday night to our work colleagues? Would we publish that Instagram DM we sent in a fit of rage to an ex-boyfriend as our Facebook status for all of our friends to see? The answer, most likely, is no. If you’re a pretty solid drunk-texter, shirty screen-shotter or passive aggressive WhatsApp author – you might want to look away now, because Hetty Douglas’ work is all about flipping your inbox inside-out for the world to see.

One glance at Douglas’ work and we might all reluctantly recognise a smidgen of ourselves in the flippant dialogues that cover her canvases: ‘Sorry for treating you like shit’ and the seething, ‘How’s your anger?’

It's not all snide retaliations however. The 23-year-old Nottingham-raised artist, who is a graduate from University of the Arts London, is inspired by her past and present friendships and relationships. And occasionally sprawls sensitive self-reminder phrases like, “be gentle with yourself” and “luv you as a mate.” Douglas explained to Wonderland Magazine “The ‘Luv you as a mate’ piece, I made to take the piss out of myself. I always say it to girls when I’m trying to pull them. Most of my work is about relationships, girls and myself.”

Hetty's multimedia work is cutting through the din of the Peckham artist-scene that's currently busier than Bussey on a Friday night, and we're putting it down to her ability to say it how it is; her canvases are relatable, raw, iconoclastic, confrontational and highly Instagrammable.

Keen to see her work in the flesh? The opening night of her latest exhibition, Finger, kicks off on the 28th of January and Hetty will be showing alongside Patrick Dakers at 71a Gallery in East London. The show will consist of large scale paintings, sculptural and installation work, and runs from the 28th January to 31st January.

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