Agnieszka Lokaj

About

Agnieszka Lokaj is a London-based contemporary painter working in acrylics and oils, whose practice explores human connection — to nature, to others, and to the hidden and visible parts of the self. Her work has been shown widely across the UK, she is a recipient of Arts Council England funding, and she was longlisted for the Women in Art Emerging Artist Prize 2024.

Statement

My practice investigates how we connect: to the natural world, to each other, and to the parts of ourselves we keep hidden or let show. I work in acrylics and oils on canvas, combining bold brushstrokes, expressive paint drips, palette knife marks, and scratched-in patterns. I often build a realistic image and then take it apart, layering and unbuilding repeatedly until something truer emerges. I came to painting later in life, after a career in technology, and that shift from the analytical to the intuitive changed how I see everything. I have ADHD, and it shapes the way I work: the ability to hyperfocus, to hold several ideas at once, and to follow a painting wherever it needs to go. My work often sits with the shadow self, the things we carry quietly, the tension between what we show and what we hide. I want my paintings to be a space for reflection. Not answers, just an invitation to sit with something. In 2025, I received Arts Council England funding for Touchlines of Fortitude, a project celebrating female resilience through creativity and storytelling. Alongside this, I am developing a new body of work around the concept of the "blue mind": the idea that being near water, rivers, and the Thames in particular, can reduce stress, support emotional balance, and deepen our sense of connection to each other and the world. Through painting, drawing, and process-based experimentation, I am exploring what it feels like to be held by water.

Exhibitions

Recognition

Commissions

I take commissions for abstract works

Starting from $953