Surreal, uncanny, seductive: step into Graham Little’s world
Scottish artist Graham Little presents his first US retrospective at The FLAG Art Foundation in New York
![Graham Little artworks of woman sitting with mirror, and man touching toes in pants](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nTRqB8E3z7Euvh7XZ3q8Ub-415-80.jpg)
In Graham Little’s uncanny world – currently on show at The FLAG Art Foundation in New York – reality is almost imperceptibly skewed and figures, presiding over tea tables or posing for portraits, are almost familiar. The Scottish artist riffs on the rich worlds that populated late 20th-century advertising and 1960s fashion photography for his impeccably designed rooms, in which gorgeously clothed people self-consciously reside.
‘It has always felt important for me to listen to the imagined desires and feelings of the models and stylists of the source material,’ says Little on the intertwining of cultural references throughout his work. ‘I prefer to help them build those worlds and expressions instead of my own. Sublimation of my fears and my concerns for how everyone manages and copes in life.’
Graham Little at The FLAG Art Foundation, New York
Graham Little, Untitled, 2000
Intimately sized, Little’s gouache and coloured-pencil works on paper command the viewer to come closer as if they’re peering through the keyhole, casting us in the role of intruder. The figures in the works think so too – caught holding stiff poses, they avoid our gaze.
The exhibition at FLAG Art Foundation unites 16 works created between 2000 and 2023, in the LIttle’s first retrospective in the US. ‘The earlier works were direct and therapeutic in that they allowed me to momentarily disconnect from masculinity,’ says Little. ‘After a while I have given permission for some of my own subjectivity and reason to shape the image. The eras of fashion photography that inspired me were of a time of better connection with our own thoughts and community; before the invention of the handheld hoover for the soul, a time before we sold off our thinking space. I don't think we need to buy as many shiny surfaces, and it is still possible to use a text-and-talk phone or go for a slower walk with no purpose; help fund a public library.’
Graham Little, Untitled (Fox), 2017
This slower philosophy is encapsulated in the melancholic works casting historic fashion photography in muted tunes, presenting a complex rethinking of both femininity and domesticity. ‘I am still trying to manage a misunderstanding of femininity,’ says Little. ‘I am uncertain.’
Graham Little, Untitled (Parlour), 2014
Graham Little is at the FLAG Art Foundation, New York, until 4 May 2024
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
Alexander May, founder of LA studio Sized, on the joys of creative polymathy
Creative director Alexander May tells us of the multidisciplinary approach that drives his LA studio Sized and its offspring, a 5,000 sq ft event space and an exhibition series
By Hannah Silver Published
-
50 of America’s top creatives, photographed by Inez & Vinoodh
Photographed exclusively for Wallpaper* by Inez & Vinoodh, we present a portfolio of 50 creatives driving the current discourse on American culture and its dynamic evolution
By Dan Howarth Published
-
Nona Faustine confronts the past in New York
Artist Nona Faustine reframes New York's colonial past in an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum
By Hannah Silver Published
-
How the west won: Ivan McClellan is amplifying the intrepid beauty of Black cowboy culture
In his new book, 'Eight Seconds: Black Cowboy Culture', Ivan McClellan draws us into the world of Black rodeo. Wallpaper* meets the photographer ahead of his Juneteenth Rodeo
By Tracy Kawalik Published
-
Casa Bosques’ queer-themed book curation comes to New York’s East Village
In Pride Month 2024, Casa Bosques’ pop-up bookstore in The Standard hotel, East Village, offers a stylish haven for literary mavens
By Hannah Silver Published
-
‘Very few museums were interested in my work until recently’: Amalia Mesa-Bains on her first-ever retrospective
‘Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory’ is a long-overdue exhibition at El Museo del Barrio in New York celebrating five decades of the trailblazing Chicanx artist
By Sofia de la Cruz Published
-
Frieze New York 2024: what to see in and around the city
Frieze New York 2024 (until Sunday 5 May) sees the city’s ample spring season programming celebrated at The Shed
By Osman Can Yerebakan Published
-
Calling NYC grads! Sarabande Foundation invites you to an industry masterclass to pave way into the creative world
‘What Now?’ by Sarabande Foundation is a post-college guide to support graduates in making their next steps, with advice from the likes of Burberry, Thom Browne, and more
By Tianna Williams Published