Painting Mixes Faith and Diary Lines in a Fresh Look

Michaela Yearwood‑Dan’s latest canvas, called “The Sparrow Is Never Lost, ” shows bright layers of orange, red and pink on two tall panels. Tiny glass beads in brown and green add texture, while handwritten words appear across the surface. One phrase, “Aint no shame in me, ” echoes the spirit of her show, “The Practice of Liberation, ” now on display at Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery. Yearwood‑Dan grew up in a strict Catholic family in southwest London and went to a girls’ convent school. She says people often think she had a rough childhood, but her feelings are mixed. While learning about her queer identity and questioning the church’s history and colonial ties, she also remembers nuns teaching her feminism. These mixed memories shape the work shown at her first solo British exhibition.The gallery space feels like a church, dim and open. A choral score by her friend Alex Gruz plays softly, enhancing the atmosphere. Ceramic vessels sit on pedestals like altar pieces, and diptychs resemble stained‑glass windows. Benches are covered with abstract tile patterns. Many pieces include cut‑up text from diaries, songs and poems, plus floral designs and small gold leaf accents. This blend of personal, political and cultural bits creates a kaleidoscope effect, a technique she began after graduating from the University of Brighton in 2016. She explains that a painting can look one way from far away and another up close. Yearwood‑Dan’s work invites viewers to explore how faith, identity and memory can intertwine in unexpected ways.