Kione Grandison is a London-based, multi-disciplinary artist with a strong cross-cultural practice that spans across various interests, influenced by her Jamaican, German and British heritage
Working across different forms and media, Grandison produces paintings, mixed-media collages, sculpture, hand- painted clothing and nail art. Her work is interested in numerous subjects – from the Black beauty industry, Jamaican music and dancehall culture to traditional African adornment and tools of 'beautification', such as the hair comb.
Grandison’s practices marries visual art with ethnography to access a breadth of key interests, including references that trace back to ancient African and Egyptian mythology and symbolism. The Black hair and beauty industry is a significant subject, allowing the artist entry points into contemporary and historic cultures and exposing practices that resonate with her own personal experiences. Jamaica and her family connections to the country provide another evident source of inspiration and common motifs in her work include lush green landscapes, references to dancehall and sound system culture, street art and music records.
Alongside her fine art practise Grandison is a self-taught nail artist. Having developed her nail career working at renowned nail bar WAH nails she is now a successful freelancer, having worked on editorial shoots and music videos with artists such as Ray BLK, Lion Babe and Lady Leshurr and with brands such as Nike. Grandison has always seen nail art as a creative and expressive outlet which can be directly linked to her artistic practice.
Similarly to hair, nail art is a popular tool for self-expression within diasporic African and Caribbean communities. Grandison is interested in how adornment practices have evolved through time and through the forced displacement of African people. Grandison sees her creative process as similar to the type of beautifying that happens within black beauty salon spaces.
As an artist, Grandison's work is a process of self-exploration that she uses to interrogate the politics and beauty of visual symbols from past and present- day African and Caribbean cultures.
In the same year as graduating from Wimbledon College of Arts with a BA in Fine Art, Grandison was one of the recipients of the Woon Foundation Art Prize in 2017. She has since been commissioned for public artworks across Europe and the Caribbean, with mural works in Paris, Jamaica and London.
EDUCATION
2014 - 2017
Wimbledon College of Arts (UAL) - BA Fine Art: Painting
2012 -2014
Hampstead Fine Arts College, London
EXHIBITIONS
Sept 2019- ‘AKRA’- Collaborative show
Htown studio, London
Aug 2019- ‘The Hair Appointment’- Group show
Peckham Palms, London
Feb 2019- ‘CWDT’- Group show
Five Miles, Tottenham, London
June 2017- ‘The Woon prize’- Group show
Baltic 39, Newcastle upon Tyne
June 2017- Wimbledon BA degree show- Group show
Wimbledon College of arts, London
March 2017- ‘108 Nails’- Group show
Copeland gallery, Peckham, London
PRESS
2019- All the Pretty Birds- ONLINE PUBLICATION
Article and interview about my work and inspiration (https://www.alltheprettybirds.com/meeting-kione-grandison/)
2019- Elle magazine- ONLINE PUBLICATION
(https://www.elle.com/uk/beauty/hair/g28717567/artists-celebrating-power-of-black-hair/)
2018 -Infringe magazine- IN PRINT
A collage of mine used to illustrate a panel discussion titled ‘The art and politics of Black hair’
2018- Klass of K Swiss zine- IN PRINT
Three page spread interview about my Brixton mural project and influences
March 2018- Hairs How Russia magazine- IN PRINT
Three page spread interview about my work and influences
Aug 2017- Infringe magazine online- ONLINE PUBLICATION
Interview about my work (https://www.infringe.com/kione-grandison/)
Jan 2017- The Fader online- ONLINE PUBLICATION
(http://www.thefader.com/2017/01/31/instagram-braiders-hair-shani-crowe-nikki-nelms)
Oct 2016- ThandieKay.com- ONLINE PUBLICATION
Interview about myself and my work (http://thandiekay.com/2016/10/21/oyin-akande-talks-young- artist-kione-grandison)
July 2016- True Africa online- ONLINE PUBLICATION
Interview about my work and influences (http://trueafrica.co/article/this-artist-takes-inspo-from- black-barbershops-to-wangechi-mutu/)
June 2016- Born n Bred zine Issue 3- IN PRINT
Feature and interview about my work
PRIZES
2017 Woon Foundation Painting and Sculpture prize- (Awarded 3rd place prize)
COLLECTIONS
Work in ownership of several private collections