A striking new photography series by a University of Brighton student – Paint It Black – is reimagining some of the world’s most iconic artworks — and asking urgent questions about representation and identity in the process.
Read more: University of Brighton Graduate Show Opens
Leah Jones, a final-year Photography BA(Hons) student, has created Paint it Black, a powerful and provocative collection of digital self-portraits that insert her own image into masterpieces like The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Scream. By doing so, she highlights the absence of people of colour in the traditional Western art canon and challenges the narratives that have shaped our cultural imagination.
Drawing on her Jamaican heritage and British upbringing, Leah uses humour, symbolism, and cultural references to disrupt familiar imagery and reframe the stories being told. One image transforms Albrecht Dürer’s solemn Self-Portrait with the playful “gun fingers” gesture and a Jamaican Patois caption. Another, titled The Daughter of Stereotype, replaces Magritte’s green apple with a piece of fried chicken in a biting commentary on racial clichés in visual culture.
Her series also takes on artworks such as Girl with a Pearl Earring, American Gothic, Salvator Mundi, and Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait — each one filtered through Leah’s lens as a Black British woman. The result is a bold reclaiming of space within art history and a celebration of complex cultural identity.
Leah said: “My work explores identity, race, and representation, using photography as both a reflective tool and a means of subversion. Brighton offered a great mix of practical skills and theory, and the creative energy of the city helped me push my ideas further.”
She added: “One tutor encouraged me to embrace the complexities of my cultural identity rather than simplify them for broader appeal. That really shifted how I saw myself and my work.”
Photography course leader Holly Birtles praises Leah’s project as “a powerful series of performative studio portraits” that subvert dominant narratives and offer “inclusive reimaginings” of art history. She adds that this year’s Graduate Show reflects a dynamic range of perspectives and themes — from gender and diaspora to sustainability and neurodivergence.
Leah’s work is part of the University of Brighton’s 2025 Graduate Show, open to the public until June 8. The exhibition spans multiple venues and disciplines, offering a chance to experience the next wave of creative talent.
Address: Grand Parade and Edward Street, City campus
Opening times: Weekend opening: 12–5pm
Weekday opening: 10am–5pm
Thursdays: 10am–6pm
Website: https://www.brighton.ac.uk/summer-shows/index.aspx
University Of Brighton Open Days
The University is also hosting a series of Open Days this summer for prospective students:
City Campus: Saturday June 7, 9:30am–4:00pm
Moulsecoomb Campus: Saturday June 14, 9:30am–4:00pm
Falmer Campus: Friday 27 & Saturday June 28, 10:00am–4:00pm
Website: brighton.ac.uk.
