“This work is about making space for the everyday stories that often go unrecorded. I want to give dignity and attention to the kinds of places and people I grew up around—places that are often overlooked or forgotten.” – Louis Wootton-Davies
Louis Wootton-Davies (b. 1998) is a British artist known for his intimate, narrative-driven paintings that explore working-class life in Britain. Raised in Shrewsbury and now living in Oxford, Wootton-Davies draws heavily on personal history and local geography to build a deeply emotive visual language.
His work combines references from family photo albums, his grandfather’s documentation of life around their scrapyard in Shrewsbury (now the site of Cineworld on Old Potts Way), and his own photography. Often, his paintings feature real locations from Shrewsbury—sometimes subtly altered or partially obscured—but always rooted in memory, place, and identity.
The title of his debut solo exhibition, Pub Money, references a familiar term used to describe overtime or extra earnings—capturing a certain humour, resilience, and quiet dignity that runs through much of his work.
Through his painting, Wootton-Davies seeks to honour and examine the cultural landscape of Britain’s working class—connecting generational memory with contemporary experience.