Taking its title from the catch-all description on the census for any unpaid work undertaken by women, my series Classification of Unpaid Domestic Duties looks at class duality and the way in which ‘beauty in utility’ imagery is appropriated by high-end style magazines and lifestyle stores to create a romanticised notion of domestic work – all wafting passivity and idyll.

I have chosen to subvert that, reinstating working class grit and angst in my paintings of hands and utensils, giving them names you can spit in the derogatory language so often reserved for working class women.

But there’s humour and retaliation here too with names like ‘Up Yours.’

From top and left to right: DUSTER, GRATE, SAD IRON No5, SCRUBBER, TEARS, TORCH, TRUSSED, UP YOURS

UPDATE

Classification of Unpaid Domestic Duties won the Expert Panel Vote at the Liberty Specialty Market Art Awards 2018-2019 and all eight from the original series were on show at the Liberty offices at 20 Fenchurch Street, London – the building affectionately known as the ‘walkie talkie’ – August 2018 to July 2019.

PLUS

Two more ‘duties’ have joined the clan – BAG and TENDER.