Sikelela Owen's (b. 1984) paintings present candid figures immersed in hazy landscapes, often in repose or unassuming moments of connection. She captures the essence of being and the fluctuating nature of kinship, intimacy, and isolation. The use of lime greens and warm browns is central to her practice, washed over the canvas in layers that evoke movement and dynamism.

Rooted in the people and places she has called home, Zimbabwe, Jamaica, and America, Owen paints loose, layered figurative works that weave together personal memory, family, and community. Her visual language draws on early modern 19th-century painting alongside intimate references and expansive imagery to bring these worlds to life.

Owen taps into the universal experience of feeling simultaneously connected and alone, and the tension between love and solitude. Her depictions of children emanate innocence and the purity of youth. The moment calls attention to the emotional depth of a child's experience, giving recognition and validation to feelings which are often undermined or looked past. Her continued fascination with childhood blends her observations of her children with memories of her own youth, exploring the cyclical nature of life and the feelings that connect us.

Sikelela Owen (b. 1984) lives and works in London. She holds a postgraduate diploma in Fine Art from the Royal Academy and a BA Fine Art in Painting from Chelsea College of Art and Design. She was elected RA in June 2024. She has had solo exhibitions with Taymour Grahne Projects, Tiwani Contemporary, James Freeman Gallery, HSBC Canada Place and LDM Gallery. She has participated in group shows at the Royal Academy of Arts, Dulwich Gallery, Walker Art Gallery, Beers Gallery, Gesso Art Space, British School at Rome, The Mall Gallery and Charlie Smith London, and many more. Owen's work was featured in the 2015 Thames and Hudson publication 100 Painters of Tomorrow. In 2019, Owen was an Abbey Fellow at the British School at Rome and Elephant Lab in London. In 2022, Owen was awarded the Sunny Dupree Award for a Woman Artist.