Ella Knott - Originals and Prints

THE FUN IS BACK! is a body of work exploring human connection – rooted in collective memory; in the rituals, intimacies and fleeting moments that once unfolded naturally between strangers, friends, and everyone in between.

In a world of distraction, convenience and overstimulation, it can be hard to slow down and remember what we live for. The hero piece in the collection was initially created after a Vogue Italia 60th anniversary campaign was released, branded: 'No Social Media… The Fun Is Back!' stirring a crippling sense of nostalgia and a yearning for life before phones, before the loss of eye contact. This feeling went on to inspire the entire collection. The works illustrate the chaos, the clutter, the fun and the conversation we once shared in a world we now look back on with longing.

Ella Knott is a self-taught, London-based artist. Her paintings are largely inspired by a craving for human connection and intimacy. Born in 1998, she has witnessed a world that has shifted from frequent eye contact, conversations with strangers, and spontaneous socialising to one defined by solitude, distraction, and disengagement. She carries a kind of perpetual homesickness for the world she remembers growing up in. Her work aims to transport both herself and the viewer back to a time of connection - of parties, of closeness, of unfiltered fun. Fun… something she feels we are slowly losing.

Life now often feels regimented, optimised, and experienced in small doses. She believes we have lost some of the freedom to be messy, chaotic, and fully present. Through her paintings, she hopes to inspire people to ‘look up’, to turn away from the screens saturating their daily lives and start a conversation with someone beside them.