Elizabeth Waggett (b. 1984, Manchester UK) creates luminous, materially rich works that explore the relationship between light, time, and transformation. Working with oil paint, precious metals, antique lace, and historic textiles, she builds layered surfaces that shift with changing light and continue to evolve through natural oxidation and chemical reactions. Her paintings invite slow looking, revealing new depths, reflections, and subtle transformations over time.
Rooted in the industrial textile heritage of her native Manchester, Waggett incorporates
antique lace, vintage fabrics, and oxidized metals that carry traces of labour, history, and
human touch. Through dozens of meticulously constructed layers, her works blur the
boundaries between painting, sculpture, and installation, examining how beauty, memory,
and material can preserve the passage of time while remaining in constant flux.
Educated at the University of Manchester and the Royal College of Art, Waggett has
exhibited internationally in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. Her
work is held in significant private and public collections worldwide, and she has collaborated with organizations including The King's Trust, the UN's Lion's Share Fund, Soho House, Saks, and Netflix.