Frances Waite is known for her subversive approach to photorealistic graphite drawing that explores the conflicts that arise at uncomfortable intersections between truth and fantasy. Exploiting the intimacy of hyper-detailed pencil and paper renderings, Waite's drawings are characterised by confrontational voyeurism, often weaponised by the artist to dissemble patriarchal structures. Depicting transgressive behaviour in startling verisimilitude, Waite constructs ‘near-truth’ alternate realities that scrutinise human anxieties and desensitisation. Despite the appearance of being suspended in fantasy, Waite confesses that her works are somewhat rooted in the autobiographical – expressing internalised, personal angst, immediate experiences and the socio-political tensions of her generation. More often than not, Waite’s drawings are designed to be published to her online audience, questioning our ideas of authenticity and verisimilitude, unpacking the vulnerabilities which underpin how we interact and identify with one another virtually. Prophesying the implausibility and absurdity of a cyber utopia, her work often satirises the fruitlessness of human interactions in the digital realm.
Frances Waite graduated from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York in 2015 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Drawing. Solo exhibitions include Another Day in the Kingdom, Setareh, Düsseldorf, Germany (2021); Hot Water, Cob, London (2021); Escape Fantasy (OVR), Cob Gallery, London, UK (2020); Slap the Void, Elijah Wheat Showoom, Brooklyn, New York, USA (2018); My Girl, Elijah Wheat Showroom, Brooklyn, New York (2016). Group Exhibitions include Western Exhibitions Drawing Biennial, Western Exhibitions, Chicago, Illinois (2021); Female Trouble, Western Exhibitions, Chicago, Illinois, USA (2020); Island, Ramp Gallery, London, UK (2020); NADA This Is Fair, Elijah Wheatroom Showroom, NY (2020).
Graduation, Good Mother Gallery, Oakland, California, USA (2019); PLATFORM by David Zwirner, Elijah Wheat Showroom, New York, USA (2021); Here for the Right Reasons (Curated by Janie Korn & Artie Niederhoffer), Sleep Center, New York, USA (2017); Nasty Women, Knockdown Center, Brooklyn, New York, USA (2017); Tie His Hands Gently (Curated by Aurel Schmidt), Romeo, New York, USA (2017); No Empty Vessels, Gildar Gallery, Denver, Colorado (2016); Her Mojo, ASH Art & Space, Long Island City, New York, USA (2016); Phantasmagoria, Kunsthalle Projects, Brooklyn, New York, USA (2015).