THE ARTIST
David Cutts
Promised Land · Hope Dies Last
Biography
David Cutts is a British artist living and working in Kent. Working primarily in painting and drawing, he creates highly detailed, photorealistic compositions that explore the relationship between desire, escapism and the images that shape our aspirations. Drawing inspiration from advertising, popular culture, film and entertainment, Cutts combines familiar imagery to create fictional worlds in which luxury, excitement and the promise of a better life appear tantalisingly close. Born in Surrey, Cutts studied Fine Art at Canterbury Christ Church University, where he developed his interest in large-scale photorealistic drawing and graduated with first-class honours at master's level. His practice has encompassed painting, drawing and sculpture, including experimental works constructed from unconventional materials. Cutts spent many years working as a specialist painter and assistant to contemporary British artist Damien Hirst. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Turner Contemporary, Saatchi Gallery and Trinity Buoy Wharf. His current practice explores the seductive appeal of chance, success and instant transformation, capturing the optimism and excitement that accompany the belief that everything could change in a moment.
Artist Statement
My work explores the seductive power of possibility — the belief that life could be transformed in an instant. Drawing on the visual language of advertising, entertainment and popular culture, I create fictional compositions that bring together images of luxury, leisure, escapism and chance. Swimming pools, exotic destinations, desirable objects and playful references to games of luck become symbols of the lives we imagine for ourselves. I'm particularly interested in the excitement of anticipation: the moment before a result is known, when anything still feels possible. Whether through a lottery ticket, a casino game or the promise of sudden success, the prospect of winning offers a temporary escape from the ordinary. For a moment, the distance between our everyday lives and our aspirations seems to disappear. There is something both joyful and contradictory about this optimism. We understand that the odds may be against us, yet the possibility of winning can be irresistible. I'm interested in that tension between what we know and what we want to believe. Using photorealistic painting and drawing, I combine imagery from different sources to construct scenes that feel familiar yet exist outside reality. Their heightened colours, carefully arranged details and polished surfaces echo the appeal of advertising, inviting viewers into worlds where pleasure and success appear almost within reach. Ultimately, my work is about more than wealth or material possessions. It explores our relationship with hope, the passage of time and the enduring belief that something extraordinary might be waiting just around the corner.