Queer, Erotic Oil Painter & Digital Illustrator
Jodie Rose Art
Jodie Underwood (c. 2003) is a Brighton-based artist whose practice encompasses both oil paintings and digital illustrations. As a graduate from the University of Brighton, their fusion of traditional oil techniques with contemporary queer themes creates surreal, maximalist pieces resonating with the queer community. Having exhibited at venues such as the Royal Academy, VF Dalston and Queer Circle, Jodie prompts viewers to scrutinise their internal biases, inviting introspection and dialogue. In addition to their work with traditional media, his digital illustrations explore themes of childhood and ephemera to analyse his experience growing up gender-non-conforming.
About Me…
About the Work…
I paint about gender and the body, the relationships between gender and the body and how gender can have absolutely nothing to do with the body. Through digital illustrations and oil paintings, I examine how my feelings towards my gender and lack thereof clash with societal pressures to fit inside a certain box. Additionally, I explore the transgender experience as a whole, how genitalia fits into the narrative of androgyny and non-binary identities, and how art can be both political, informative and thoughtful, yet also bright and funny.
The paintings themselves represent a finality in my confusion as to who, or what, I am, depicting a surreal realm where gender is obsolete and trans bodies are celebrated. Here, I challenge the notion that genitalia has any bearing on identity, portraying them in vibrant, otherworldly settings that defy societal norms. While visually striking with their bold, garish colours, my artworks also exude vulnerability, juxtaposing levity and the harsh realities of navigating the world as a gender-non-conforming individual.
