Radclyffe Hall and Lady Troubridge. Truth
77cm x 103cm, acrylic, ink and oil pencil on canvas, £3,890
From the Gateways collection
Dameon Priestly’s art is a meditation on memory, identity, and the margins of cultural history. Across his work, he returns to those often overlooked—artists, performers, political dissidents, and everyday figures whose stories challenge dominant narratives. His portraits and drawings do not merely capture likenesses; they amplify voices rarely heard, giving presence and dignity to lives shaped by defiance, creativity, and resilience. Whether portraying underground New York in the late 1970s, London’s avant-garde, or figures from broader cultural history, Priestly’s work combines meticulous observation with emotional resonance, ensuring that each story matters and each subject is seen.
Priestly works with precision and daring on unforgiving surfaces, where mistakes cannot be erased. This technical rigor mirrors the stakes of his subjects’ lives, reflecting both the precariousness of existence and the weight of historical memory. Minimalist compositions and subtly modulated textures focus attention on expression, gesture, and aura, drawing the viewer into the inner life of each figure.
At the core of his practice is a commitment to responsibility, relevance, and engagement. He seeks to contribute, in his own way, to a more inclusive understanding of who and what matters. His vision intertwines the personal with the social, exploring rebellion, cultural innovation, and survival under pressure. The work is at once intimate and expansive: quiet in scale, yet vast in the histories and ideas it encompasses. Each line, each color, becomes an act of witnessing—an assertion that art is not merely representation, but a testimony to creativity, courage, and the enduring power of individual and collective memory.
Please contact me if you would like to arrange a viewing of my work: Studio 3, The Halpern Conservancy Board Building. 15A High Street. Rochester. Kent. ME1 1PY.
dameonpriestly@gmail.com
