Amelia Cross (b. 1995) is a British artist, born and based in London. Following an early career in tailoring and womenswear design, her practice focuses on observing the female figure - from both life and reference - to uncover confessions and extensions of inner states. Guided by questions surrounding rules, desire, interiority and the passage of time, she studies the human form through her primary mediums of painting, sewing, drawing and writing.

Cross employs a diaristic approach; personal relationships, readings, film stills and photographs act as her prompts. This feeds into her research on unspoken rules and systems, specifically restrictions imposed by the self. She is influenced by the quodlibet, an 18th century genre of trompe l’œil painting displaying an “accidental” arrangement of possessions such as letters, newspapers, quills and ribbons. Her oil paintings form part of the research process, depicting photocopied pages, hand-written poems and tear-outs from sketchbooks which create a disorderly order of findings to reveal dialogues and contradictions. Using a limited palette on exposed natural linen, she controls the representation of herself, yet also, strangely allows it to control her.

In addition to these works, Cross’ research investigates the clothed form by introducing the craft of pattern-cutting and sewing to the painted surface, exploring the psychology of garments and the choices we make everyday by wearing them. She examines sartorial rules: both self-inflicted and societal, removing traces of the figure to interrogate our behaviour alone versus under the gaze of an audience. These sewn paintings establish the significance of life’s uniforms, the clothes that give us a place from which to speak or hold authority, at the cost of having a bodily presence.

EDUCATION

2025 - MA in Painting - Royal College of Art

2024 - FHEA Fellowship of Advance Higher Education - University of Arts London

2016 - BA in Bespoke Tailoring - University of Arts London

AWARDS

2024 - Hesketh Hubbard Bursary

TEACHING

2023 to current - University of Arts London