Richard Galloway British-Swedish, b. 1980

Overview

Richard Galloway’s work invites viewers into a realm where beauty and darkness coexist in quiet tension. Through his carefully carved, handprinted linocuts, he explores figurative themes of nature, family, and the shadows within storytelling. Characters in his work bring humor, melancholy, empathy, or moral depth to each scene, while the narrative often unfolds across a series of pieces, allowing the story to evolve and expand. His work blends realism with a sense of timelessness, capturing moments that feel both distant and familiar, revealing the hidden depths of human experience.

Galloway prints his linocuts on Japanese paper, a process that has taken years to perfect. Each print is made by hand, making every piece unique. This approach gives each work its own character and texture. After moving from London to Sweden, Galloway built Timberhousepress, a studio where all work is created, printed, framed, and displayed. The studio also provides space for exhibitions and continued development of his artistic practice.

Galloway was born in 1980 in Northamptonshire, U.K. he lives and works in Sweden. He completed his BA at Northumbria University School of Art (1999-2002), followed by the Royal College of Art, London with an MA in Printmaking (2002-2004). Recent solo exhibitions include ‘Seven year itch’ Avesta Konsthall, SWE (2023); ‘New romantic places’ Lokomotiv gallery, ÖKKV SWE (2021); ‘Beaver hills’ Galleri Svarta gran, SWE (2018); ‘Cephalomania’ GallerI SE Konst, SWE (2016); ‘Dolor’ Architectural Association, London UK (2011); ‘High street’ Wyer gallery, London UK (2009); ‘Richard galloway’ Wyer gallery, London UK (2006).

Galloway has recently participated in group shows Dalarna’s museum, ‘ SWE (2025); Liljevalchs vårsalong’, SWE (2025); ‘Kontur’ Danske Grafikeres, Københaven DK (2024); ‘Dala konst 23’ Dalarnas museum, SWE (2024); ‘Making contact’ Sixteen gallery, UK (2023); ‘Ta Kontakt’ Grafiska Sällskapet, SWE (2023); ‘The gathering’ Dalanas museum, SWE (2018); ‘Konst åt alla i Idre’ Idre Konsthall, SWE (2017); ‘Original print show’ Zillah bell gallery, UK (2017); ‘Royal Academy summer exhibition’ London, UK (2017); (15 14 13 03); ‘Were only in it for the money’ Galleri Se Falun, SWE (2016); ‘Print XL’ MEKEN, SWE (2016); ‘Emerging artists’ Lisson gallery, London UK (2013); ‘Jerwood drawing prize’ Jerwood space, London UK (2013); ‘We are here’ Chart gallery, UK (2013); ‘This is England’ Uno+Uno gallery, Milan ITA (2010); ‘12th Graphical Creativa’ print triennial, Milan ITA (2009); ‘Scope” international art fair, London UK (2006); ‘V22 Collection’ Ashwin street, London UK (2006); ‘New news from nowhere’ William morris museum, London UK (2005); ‘Great unsigned’ Zoo international art fair, London UK (2005); ‘craving your indulgence’ great eastern street,London UK (2005).

His works are included in public museums and private collections, including Dalarnas Museum, Falun, Sweden; the National Museum, Gdańsk, Poland; the David Roberts Collection, London; the Saatchi Collection, London; the Fatima & Faiza H. Alkazzi Award Collection, Royal College of Art; and the regional collections of Dalarna, Gävleborg, and Västernorrland in Sweden.

He was the recipient of both Garvisfonden & Konstnärsnamden stipendium in 2025, the Örnsköldsviks Grafikstipendium in 2020., he became a full member of the Swedish Printmakers Association, Grafiska Sällskapet in 2020. He was awarded the Augustus Martin Prize at the Royal College of Art in 2004 and also received the Fatima & Faiza Alkazzi Prize at the Royal College of Art, London, in 2004. He has participated in artist residencies at Galleri Lokomotiv and ÖKKV in 2021, as well as at Cité Internationale des Arts 2003.

Biography

I am a printmaker working with handcarved linoleum and woodblocks, creating narrative series that invite the viewer to explore and reflect. I think in sequences this leads to that which is why storytelling is central to my work. My motivation as an artist is to create moments to reckon with, holding beauty and unease in equal measure, reflecting on time, the act of work, and the fragile threads that bind us. Each composition is meant to be discovered gradually, offering glimpses of experience that resonate with the viewer.

I was born in Northamptonshire and studied Fine Art Painting and Printmaking at Northumbria University before completing a Master’s in Printmaking at the Royal College of Art in London. I then spent my formative professional years in the city a place of extremes, with a relentless pace and frequent destitution. Experiencing its contrasts over time deepened my empathy and shaped my practice, giving it purpose, patience, and grounded observation.

During my time in London, I developed a High Street series, made up of pubs, bookmakers, launderettes, scrapyards, and greasy spoon cafes. These were not simply depictions of place, but complex narratives drawn from close observation staked out on the streets, living through the rhythms of city life. The series captured the winners and losers, the best and worst of humanity, or sometimes simply a regular day in the launderette. Works from this series have since been acquired by private and museum collections.

I work from my studio, The Timberhousepress in the forests of Rog Dalarna, Sweden, a place that provides space to focus. My recent nine panel linocut narrative, Harvest of Days, exhibited at the Liljevalchs Vårsalong, traces the passage of time through daily rituals and simple acts of work, unfolding from spring to winter. Family moments collecting firewood, ice fishing, garden chores, crayfish seasonare interwoven with symbols of time’s steady advance. At the center lies a sphere of time, encircled by barbed wire, from which crystalline structures spread outward into each scene. In Fall of the Leaf (Tablet V), the crystal form leans over a newspaper, a gentle reminder of time’s unstoppable presence. Some panels omit the human form, creating contemplative spaces that shift the rhythm and allow quiet reflection.

A highlight of 2025 was the acquisition of works from my practice for Dalarna’s museum permanent collection, exhibited in Art, Crafts, and Design in Dalarna: From the 17th Century to Today, alongside receiving the Garvidsfonden konstnärsstipendium from Borlänge Konstförening and a one-year working stipendium from Konstnärsnämden milestones marking a clear step forward in my development.

I am now beginning a new series, The Ten, in the same format as Harvest of Days. Each panel explores archetypal figures—from The Lover to The Hustler—reflecting purpose, human creativity, and the interplay of virtue and vice, forming poetic depictions of effort, connection, and reflection on who we truly are.

Works