Despite the success of the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok, Instagram is still the undisputed app of choice for those with a keen visual eye. Since it launched in 2010, it has become a key source of inspiration for users across the world from fields as far-reaching as interior design to food and travel.
Today, there's a new wave of creatives sharing their work on the platform. Not only are they using Instagram as a kind of digital exhibition space but also as the number one place where potential clients/ buyers can see their work. Navigating which of these accounts are worth following can be a minefield (there are approximately over 2.35 billion users worldwide). For that reason, we've whittled the list down so you don't have to. Here are our favourites to follow now.
Jenna Krypell
Being constrained by a conventional canvas was never going to be acceptable for Jenna Krypell. The artist – who studied Communication Design at Syracuse University before coming to the realisation that painting was more her thing – is not somebody who enjoys conforming. ‘I had a moment when I said to myself, “I’m going to make all of my canvases on my own, cutting them to my own shapes,”’ she recalls. Those initial pieces were nothing like the mind-bending, optical illusions she creates today, but they did lead her down a path, slowly, towards the style she is known for now.
What's everyone reading?
It was at the age of five that she first fell in love with art, drawing in the garden with her father (a jewellery designer) and great-grandmother, who taught her the techniques of capturing light and form. These days, her medium is very different. While her pieces fuse both painted and reflective surfaces, when asked to reveal the methods behind her work she is secretive – ‘like a magician, I cannot reveal my tricks’ – but she is clear on how she wants her unique artworks to affect those who see them. ‘I want people to allow their minds to wander, think of the impossible, be moved by the surreal and imagine multiple perspectives and paths.’
Elena Barber
The London-based artist Elena Barber’s pieces – defined by muted hues, fragmented lines and unprimed canvas – stand out in every space (including Instagram). ‘I’m interested in how surface nuances can draw the viewer closer, offering a more contemplative experience,’ she says. Barber trained at Chelsea College of Arts and has been exhibited by the sustainable brand Toast; recently, she won the Partnership Editions Open Call competition and is now represented by the affordable-art sellers. ‘It’s been such a great way to meet other artists and learn about their practices,’ Barber says. ‘It makes you reassess what you’re doing yourself.’
Working from her studio in Bermondsey, Barber has a unique process: ‘I scan drawings and collages into my computer and project them onto the canvas to try different compositions. Editing and cropping allows me to try many options and the marks evolve from there.’ She’s also inspired by the work of the US painter Agnes Martin, who she describes as a ‘major reference’, and Instagram itself, which gives her ‘access to other artists and insight into their studios’. For now, she’s occupied with a new body of work that ‘takes a different direction – I’m really looking forward to sharing it once it’s complete’.
At first glance, you might not recognise Munich-based photographer Tom Hegen’s work as landscapes: shot from the air, his images of coal mines, fields and motorway intersections are more akin to abstract prints than traditional photographs. ‘I have always found myself drawn to landscape photography,’ Hegen says. ‘But as I looked for the perfect, unspoiled image, I encountered elements like power lines, roads and buildings. I started to question compositions that pretend to be an ideal world and focused on finding beauty in man-made landscapes.’
As a trained graphic designer, Hegen is inspired by the relationship between humans and the natural world; aerial photography appeals to him because of its dissociative effect. ‘I am a documentary photographer, but with an abstract and artistic visual approach,’ he says. ‘Many of us have lost our connection to the world around us.
I hope to help create awareness of our planet and resources.’ His work has struck a chord: Hegen has held solo exhibitions worldwide, published two books, received several awards and is about to release a third book, focusing on salt plains. ‘Being an artist and photographer is anything but a linear path,’ he says. ‘There are always challenges, doubts and obstacles. But so far, I’m very happy.’
Daniel Rueda & Anna Devís
It’s hard to believe that the bold, tongue- in-cheek photographs of Daniel Rueda and Anna Devís – on Instagram known as @drcuerda – are achieved using nothing more than careful scene-setting and basic image processing. ‘The only thing we always work with is natural light,’ says Rueda.
He met Devís when the two were studying architecture at university in Valencia and the pair immediately bonded. ‘I was into computers and taking photos, while Anna loved drawing and crafting,’ he says. ‘We were very different, but we complemented each other because we had a shared passion: turning crazy ideas into beautiful images.’
The duo, who are Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ honourees, use their joint expertise in architecture and illustration to create their unconventional, surrealist compositions in and outside the studio. They’ll go to any length to get the perfect shot: sketches of ideas are followed by digital design and laser-cutting props for total precision. This dedication has earned them more than half a million followers on Instagram, which they describe as ‘an up-to-date portfolio we can use to show clients our most recent projects’. Next up is a book to be released imminently, as well as even more dreamlike images to inspire, delight – and provide endless scrollable entertainment.
Impression Orıginale
After hours of Christmas shopping, it’s all too easy to fall at the final hurdle by opting for run-of-the-mill wrapping. But remember: first impressions count for everything. Instead, up your gifting game by delving into the vast array of boxes, taffeta ribbons and bold bows at French wrapping maison Impression Originale. ‘A gift is a token of love and the final touches show how much care was dedicated to it,’ says Mathilde Nguyen, the brand’s founder (above).
Since starting Impression Originale in 2016, she has worked with clients including Tiffany & Co, Louis Vuitton and Van Cleef & Arpels on peerless packaging. ‘I like wrapping that says something about the gift giver: perhaps a special shape or a pretty fold,’ Nguyen says.
This year, she expects to see a trend for personalisation, from ‘an embossed message on the ribbon to a hot-wax seal with a meaningful symbol’ and blank bags that can be hand-painted. ‘I love that fabric wrapping is growing in popularity,’ she says. ‘It’s the ultimate environmentally friendly option. At Impression Originale, we add a little embroidery patch to pimp it up.’ Nguyen may have exacting standards when it comes to the presents she gives, but how about those she receives? ‘I have to admit: none of my friends or family dare to wrap gifts for me anymore!’
Venetia Berry
Venetia Berry’s artistic career was never a given. ‘I’d always had a passion for art, but I can’t say I always knew I wanted to be an artist,’ she says. In fact, the Brixton- based painter, ceramicist and printmaker had a place at the University of Bristol to study politics, until a drawing course in Florence changed everything. ‘I got a last- minute place at Leith School of Art in Edinburgh, cancelled my place at Bristol and I’ve never questioned it since!’
It was an excellent decision: since then, Berry’s colourful, line-based work, which seeks to reverse the male gaze by reinventing the female nude, has won plaudits from Stella McCartney and Jessie Ware. She’s worked with Reformation and Matchesfashion and, next month, she’s teaming up with shirt brand With Nothing Underneath.
Represented by dealer-to- know Partnership Editions, Berry has exhibited at Alex Eagle Studio and is the co-founder of Sol Creative Retreats. Her characteristic, fluid lines are a result of an instinctive process. ‘I will often have a vague concept in my head, but I avoid planning ahead,’ she says. ‘I love this aspect of creativity. We’re not sure why we make the decisions we do, but something inside us directs our hands in the right direction.’ In Berry’s case, we’d say those intuitive moves are spot on.
