XANTHE TILZEY

XANTHE TILZEY (b. 2000, Huntingdon) is a painter living and working in Cockermouth, Cumbria. Known for her evocative and dreamlike style, she works primarily in oil paint to create sensual, mysterious and richly textured compositions that invite the viewer into layered emotional and psychological spaces. Her work often blurs the boundary between the real and the imagined, the past and the present, evoking a sense of intimacy and ambiguity. Through texture, tone, and symbolism, Tilzey explores themes of memory, desire, and transformation. Inspired by gothic imagery and seduced by the grotesque, Tilzey’s subject ranges from draped fabric and historical costume to severed heads and multicoloured dreamscapes. Her artistic process involves layering thin washes of oil paint, building up to thicker, more intense layers and allowing glimpses of underpainting to emerge beneath the surface.

Xanthe Tilzey studied at Liverpool John Moores University from 2020 to 2023. After graduating, she continued to live and work in Liverpool before relocating to Cockermouth, Cumbria, where she is now based. In 2023, she participated in the Independents Biennial in Liverpool, presenting a collaborative duo exhibition at The Royal Standard. That same year, she exhibited in the Open Exhibition at AIR Gallery in Manchester. In 2024, Tilzey completed a residency with The Royal Standard, which culminated in her first solo exhibition, Fearful Symmetry. A selection of works from this series were later exhibited with Convenience Gallery in Birkenhead in 2024.