Based in Oxford, Louis Wootton-Davies (B. 2000) is a Shrewsbury-born artist, and Oxford Brookes University graduate, exploring themes of personal & working class identity, Class-dysmorphia and masculinity through his multimedia practice.

 Louis’ art has been exhibited in galleries across the UK, with paintings being held in private collections around the world. Wootton-Davies is currently in the process of preparing work for his debut solo exhibition in August, at the Soden Collection. Wootton-Davies explores his working class experience, using the term ‘Class-dysmorphia’ to describe his feelings towards his class identity. Through a blend of family archived and self conducted photography and interviews, he is able to express the journey of realising/ accepting his social standing. His work is often described as uncanny, with a nostalgic quality. Viewers are left feeling uneasy, but in a comfortable and recognised environment. 

“In the past I've used the term class-dysmorphia to describe the feelings towards my class identity. At some point in your life there is a realisation of your social standing, this often comes from comparing yourself to others. When you grow up in a community where most people are in a similar position, you don't realise there's an overall class divide, you only know your normal. For me, moving away from home and going to university was this realising factor, you get to student halls and quite quickly people get onto the topic of money, complaining of only getting a £3000 loan (their parents help them out on top of this) and tell you how lucky you are to have the maximum student loan of just over 9 grand (due to coming from a low income household).

My upcoming exhibition at the Soden Collection is called ‘Pub Money’, this is also the name of one of my paintings. It [Pub Money the painting] depicts an Indian Takeaway in my village, down the road from my family home. My Dad started working there, doing food deliveries, after the business had closed and money was getting tight. He’d call it pub money, he’d say he was ‘working there for a bit of extra pub money’, but then he’d end up working on Friday and Saturday nights when he was supposed to be in the pub, if that was actually the reason he was working there, then it was completely counterproductive. I think the term ‘Pub Money, is particularly interesting because it’s something people say when they’re tight on cash and don’t want to admit that they’re fucking skint.”

Solo Exhibitions

Pub Money: August 2025, Soden Collection, Shrewsbury

Group Exhibitions

Metanoia: May 2023, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford

DreaMFActory23: December 2023, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford

Window Gallery: March 2024, Fusion Arts, Oxford

Tabula Rasa: June 2024, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford

Guildford House Open: November 2024, Guildford House Gallery, Guildford

AKA Fine Art Winter Exhibition: December 2024, AKA Fine Art, Cambridge

SFSA Painting Open: December 2024, Second Floor Studios & Arts, Deptford

Oxfordshire Artweeks: May 2025, Magdalen Road Studios, Oxford

OAS Young Artists Exhibition: June 2025, Magdalen Road Studios, Oxford

Best Of British V: November 2025, The Gallery Holt, Norfolk

Curated Exhibitions

OAS Young Artists Exhibition: June 2025, Magdalen Road Studios, Oxford

Panels

Painting Insights Podcast: July 2025