Artist Bio :

Matilda Baxendale-Kirby is a London-based artist with a First Class Honours BA in Photography and an MA from the Royal College of Art. She is known for her contemporary Renaissance-style paintings where she uses modern-day settings to bridge together the past and present. Drawing inspiration from classical forms of art, Matilda reinterprets traditional narratives, adapting them to reflect the complexities of today’s society—capturing both its beauty and darker undercurrents.

Her current project, Paintings in the Sky, embodies her mission to make art accessible to everyday people by transforming unconventional spaces into a canvas for artistic expression. Through this work, she seeks to reconnect art with the everyday world, bringing it into the lives of those who might not typically encounter it. Baxendale-Kirby’s work has been featured in Royal Academy shows and the British Journal of Photography.

Expanding her practice into three-dimensional forms, Baxendale-Kirby now creates hand-painted disco balls that engage directly with the troubling legacies of classical art. Each piece is meticulously covered with reinterpretations of historical rape paintings—such as those by Rubens, Picasso, and others, transforming the rotating surface into a site of critical tension. As they spin, casting fractured light across darkened spaces, these disco balls evoke the enduring presence of sexual violence within nightlife settings, drawing an unsettling line from past atrocities to present realities. By juxtaposing celebration with confrontation, Baxendale-Kirby reclaims the dance floor as a space for reflection as much as release.

Recent exhibitions : Women in Art Fair (London, 2025) / Chelsea Art Society (Chelsea, 2025) / BBC Television studios (London, 2025) / For the love of Art History Finalist (The Exhibitionist Hotel, 2025) / Paintings in the sky at XOYO, (London, 2024) / Royal College of Art Graduate Exhibition (London, 2024) / FABRIC Nightclub (London,2024-Current) / Renaissance Rebirth at The Camden Assembly (London 2024) / Royal West of England Academy (Bristol, 2023) / Royal Cambrian Academy (Conwy, 2023) / Truman Brewery (London, 2023)

Publications : Cambridge Journal of Law, Art & Politics Vol 1 & 3 / Source Magazine Graduate Selection 2023 / British Journal of Photography / The Photograph in Flux