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Visual Arts

12 artists you should be following on Instagram

Instagram has long been a playground for contemporary and emerging artists. It's free, easy to use, and accessed by an instantly responsive audience all over the world: a digital gallery for a digital generation.
But as the influence of Instagram grows, so does the number of artists, designers, illustrators and tastemakers using the platform to flaunt their work (as well as themselves). As such, it's a rich resource for scouting out new art, photography and drawing; making rich artistic discoveries; connecting with artists working all over the world; and finding accessible art to buy at affordable prices.
From achingly cool photographers to tastemakers wooing the style set, these are the Instagram artists to follow, buy and feel inspired by now.

Flora Yukhnovich

Flora Yukhnovich's delicious canvases play with Rococo imagery, blurring compositions so that they seem to dissolve in the buttery paint. A new book featuring her work has been published by Parafin to coincide with her first solo exhibition at the London gallery earlier this year. Sweet Spot includes Yukhnovich's works which draw from 18th-century French painting as well as pop culture and is available to buy here.

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@flora_yukhnovich

Chloe Wise

Chloe Wise is much cooler than you, which is why you should follow her on Instagram. The Canadian-born artist is based in New York, and exhibited in London at Almine Rech earlier this year. Her account features the silky-smooth portraits of young creatives in languorous poses for which she is best known. There are also photos of all her cool friends and her cat Pluto – what’s not to love?

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@chloewise_

Ben Thomas

At first glance, Ben Thomas’ Instagram page resembles an album of Wes Anderson movie stills. Snapshots of candy-coloured coastal towns, kitsch amusement parks, and hyper-azure lidos are bathed in bright pastel hues like the hazy memories of a distant summer holiday. The Australian photographer uses colour manipulation and tilt-shift techniques to create images that are hardly real. Follow him for some whimsical wanderlust to brighten up your week.

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@___benthomas

Hattie Stewart

Hattie Stewart has an impressively varied portfolio for a young artist, listing Ariane Grande, Kylie Minogue, Adidas and Pepsi among her clients. She has even created illustrations for the current production of Present Laughter at the Old Vic, featuring Andrew Scott. Unsurprisingly, her Insta is one to watch. It features plenty of her ‘doodle-bombing’ projects, in which she illustrates over the covers of magazines like Vogue and Interview.

Bold, psychedelic, and detailed, her illustration treads a fine and fascinating line between playfulness and danger.

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@hattiestewart

Luke Edward Hall

Artist, designer and tastemaker Luke Edward Hall is the name on every creative's lips. His colourful hand-painted ceramics, hand-painted table lamps and lamp shades, framed drawings, paintings and prints garnish the interiors of London's style set.

He's collaborated with Christie's, the Royal Academy and Burberry and has worked on a much-coveted collection with style guru Alex Eagle. His funky new book, Greco Disco, invites readers to step into his colourful world through stunning pages filled with bold patterns, mythological deities and classical architecture and is available to buy here.

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@lukeedwardhall

Philip Colbert

Think of Philip Colbert and his trademark pop lexicon of hot dogs, cartoon characters and Warhol soup cans spring to mind. Or, maybe it's his Avatar alter ego Lobster character; his capsule collection with Rolex, or Rita Ora disguised as a Colbert-inspired Swiss cheese. In recent years Colbert has dominated the pop art landscape and has become one of the most influential contemporary artists working in London. His vibrant Instagram feed offers a vignette into his ultra-saturated world and, more importantly, a welcome break from reality.

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@philipcolbert

Petra F Collins

Canadian photographer Petra Collins has multiple strings to her bow. She's a fashion photographer favoured by the likes of Gucci and Bulgari, a catwalk model, and an Instagram sensation, with nearly one million followers. She calls Cardi B, Selena Gomez and Dakota Johnson among her best pals, and shoots covers for the biggest fashion mags in the world.

But it's her distinctive, dreamlike photographic aesthetic that first catapulted her to international fame. Collins creates photography of women for women, taking inspiration from her own life experiences as a young woman. Petra's work triggers new conversations about the female form, and is at once youthful and modern, yet shot entirely on 35mm. Unfortunately original Collins photographs now go for eye-watering sums, but, thankfully, her Instagram feed is free. It's time to scroll and feel moved, impassioned and empowered all at once.

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@petrafcollins

Lucy Auge

The delicate ink drawings of Bath-based artist Lucy Auge capture the ephemeral beauty and eternal evolution of nature's playground. Inspired by traditional Asian art, Auge uses a thick Chinese brush and ink, and focuses on the simplicity of form and subject. Flowers are at the heart of her practice: which flowers, though, depends on the season in which she paints. Auge's work is both accessible and affordable, and a decorative addition to any home interior. Original prints from £80.

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@lucyauge_art

Alice Skinner

Alice Skinner is revolutionising the world of satirical illustration. Whether it's raising awareness around abused women, the gender pay gap or racial inequalities, Skinner's art offers a powerful and, at times, provocative commentary on 21st-century life. It's on Instagram that Skinner has found her niche. Her pastel palette is instantly shareable and offers a striking contrast to her work's serious subject matter. With 18.3K followers and multiple group exhibitions already under her belt, her strategic aesthetic is both working and extremely inspiring. Don't underestimate the power of the screen.

Venetia Berry

London-based artist Venetia Berry paints the nude female figure through an abstracted lens, simplifying the form using delicate indefinite lines. With her colourful dreamlike figures, Berry aims to reverse the male gaze, challenging the typical creation of the archetypal sexualised nude. With group exhibitions scheduled for later this year, and a recent partnership with Mortimer House, it's time to invest now before her prices soar. Prints and multiples from £200.

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@venetiaberry

Tommy Clarke

Beachscapes shot from above are what London-based photogapher Tommy Clarke is best known for. His colourful, aerial photographs of populated beaches, strewn with surf boards, sun-loungers and sunbathers, have earned him recognition and followers across the world. More recently, he's expanded his practice to encompass riverscapes, seascapes and mountain ranges, too. Whatever the subject, Clarke's photographs explore the relationship between water and land, and people's connection with them. His photographs tell intriguing, beautiful narratives, which offer a welcome respite from cold, drizzly London any day of the year.

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@tommy.clarke

Alexandria Coe

Alexa's simplified drawing practice enables her to 'authenitcally' connect with the human form. Coe predominantly focuses on the female nude and expressive possibilities simple mark-making affords her. As Coe plays with the boundaries associated with the 'nude' and 'nakedness', she creates drawings that are sensual yet abstract, evocative yet provocative. Framed miniatures from £286.

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@alexandria_coe