Mikey’s work sits an an intersection between the political and the decorative. She begins with drawing – exploring aspects of intimacy and the body through linear, biomorphic forms, which she transcribes into paintings, motifs and assemblages using paper, both plain and painted, alongside text and imagery from the newspaper (usually pink pages from the FT) which she cuts, staples, pleats, gathers and embellishes.

Some works become characters or entities in their own right, often with a playful, sexual ambiguity to them. Some works are 3-dimensional, referencing clothing or objects: pillows, skirts and fans.

Mikey made her first ‘Pandemic Pillow’ early on in lockdown after reading an article by Arundhati Roy titled ‘The Pandemic Portal’. She continued making these through lockdown; to her it felt like a project, a means of processing the news in her own way. More information on the ‘Pandemic pillows’ can be found here. The fans are more recent – Mikey often looks for imaged of women and minorities tucked away in the arts or sub sections of the weekend FT; she likes to highlight and celebrate them.

Mikey was born in New York and educated at Summerhill School in Suffolk. She studied at Edinburgh College of Art, Central School of Art and Chelsea College of Art (MA Painting). Mikey lived and worked in East London for over 30 years, where she helped create the Beck Road Arts Trust. She has also published a memoir which can be found here.

Instagram: @mikeycuddihy