Rachel Glen (b.1999) is an Edinburgh based artist working in painting, drawing, sculpture, and textiles. Graduating with a degree in Painting from Edinburgh College of Art in 2022, Glen’s practice is influenced by her recollection of childhood events and memorable objects, exploring themes of nostalgia, joy, innocence and wonder.
Glen weaves her collaged photographs and distorted memories into paintings and installations, creating a visual diary of her life, capturing the essence of her past in every stroke and colour. She is interested in the act of storytelling and expressing her emotions in the form of adding brightly coloured painted and tufted symbols to the surrounding artwork, drawing people into her world, and making them feel a connection to their own memories.
Glen’s artwork often centres around a narrative and series of paintings, resulting in the memories taking a more physical form, allowing Glen to re-live these events through different artistic processes to deeper understand her closeness with repeated objects and symbols. Her work creates conversation about past experiences and highlights the line between memory and reality as she continues to balance the nostalgia of childhood with the responsibilities of adulthood and find comfort in the past.
