Photo by Madoka Takei
Eva Sykes is a London-based multidisciplinary artist whose practice encompasses painting, sculpture, stop motion animation, moving image, and immersive installation. Her work explores ideas of the self, the duality of human nature, and the absurdity and humour found in life's darkness. Utilising traditional painting and sculpting techniques, Sykes introduces a deliberate, handcrafted quality that references classical artwork and medieval art.
Influenced deeply by mythology and folklore, Sykes juxtaposes familiar historical imagery with nostalgic, kitsch, and surreal elements from the early 2000s. Her work frequently incorporates human-animal hybrids to expose the darker sides of modern human nature. By contrasting comforting, nostalgic imagery against disturbing, uncanny elements, Sykes creates a visceral viewing experience. Her immersive installations evoke a complex duality for the viewer. They are simultaneously grotesque and ethereal, conveying a strange joy alongside a potent sense of dread, unease, and discomfort.
EDUCATION:
MA Fine Art: Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London, 2023 - 2025
BA (Hons) Filmmaking: University of the West of England, 2019 - 2022
'Origins', The Handbag Factory - ASC, London, 2026
'Third Places Non Places', Candid Arts Trust, London, 2026
'26th Community Art Exhibition', Circular ArtSpace, Bristol, 2026
'Our House', Safehouse 2, London, 2026
'The Motive of the Puppeteer', Old Glassworks, Bath, 2026
'EXI', The Crypt Gallery, London, 2026
'MORE CARNAGE', Asycd, digital exhibition, 2025
'Masking', The Good Rice, London, 2025
'Interval', Central Saint Martins, London, 2025
'Takeaway', The Good Rice, London, 2025
'Rustling Beneath Words', Five Years, London, 2024
‘TBF’, Hypha Studios, London, 2024
'Interim Show', Central Saint Martins, London, 2024
‘POTLUCK’, 44AD artspace, Bath, 2024
FESTIVAL SELECTIONS
‘Babies’, éphémère (Honorable Mention), 2025
‘Babies’, London Experimental, 2025
‘For the Birds’, SI-FAN film festival, 2025
‘Babies’, The Sur-REEL & Uncanny Film Fest, 2024
‘For the Birds’, First Cut Youth Film Festival, 2024
‘For the Birds’, London Experimental, 2024
‘For the Birds’, Bristol Radical Film Festival, 2023