The Company we Keep

Lauren Ratcliffe Contemporary Artist | Cape Town, South Africa I am a self-taught contemporary artist fascinated by the emotional lives of the spaces we inhabit and the objects we surround ourselves with. With a background in psychology and human development, my work explores the relationship between people, places and the everyday things that quietly hold our stories. Through expressive interiors, playful chairs and familiar vessels, I seek to capture the invisible traces of memory, connection and human presence. Working intuitively in oil, acrylic, ink and mixed media, I use bold colour, layered textures and gestural mark-making to create paintings that move between observation and abstraction. My work is an ongoing exploration of how a place feels rather than simply how it looks, celebrating the beauty, complexity and unexpected joy found in ordinary life. Based at Side Track Studios in Cape Town, I have exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across South Africa, with work held in private collections locally and internationally.