The Ethereal Poise of Graham Little
Caoimhín Mac Giolla Léith, Frieze
November 2026
The opening two works of Graham Little’s scrupulously calibrated solo exhibition of ten recent gouache paintings on paper, Untitled (Glass) (2025) and Untitled (Marker Pen) (2026), affirm a continuity with the artist’s earlier work while heralding a significant departure. Little has long been renowned for painstakingly delicate vignettes featuring beautiful young women and men whose ethereal poise, studied languor and anachronistic allure owe much to their origins in the pages of 1970s and ’80s fashion magazines. The meticulous execution and moody atmospherics of these works, each of a young woman engrossed in a task, painted from life, are familiar from previous such images of absorption or distraction rendered by Little, but they do not derive from magazines; instead, they are scenes constructed around the artist’s home and studio. […]