Davinia Clarke: Exploring identity through creativity

Lifelabs

Following a visit to her late grandmother’s home in Jamaica, Davinia Clarke was inspired to learn more about her grandparents’ story.

Her graduate project 'Home-body' focuses on themes of family, migration and identity and was selected to feature on the cover of the 2026/2027 undergraduate prospectus.

Through 'Home-body', Davinia explores her heritage as a third-generation child of the Jamaican diaspora in Britain. It’s a great example of how our students use their creativity to explore their identity.

From photographer to printmaker

Davinia has always enjoyed documentary photography and has captured many family moments over the years. But she also enjoyed a range of other creative subjects at school, including sculpture, film and fine art.

When she discovered BA Illustration and Visual Media at London College of Communication during a UAL Insights programme, Davinia was excited to find a degree course which encouraged experimentation with a range of media.

“What I loved about my course was that they introduced us to print. I’d done a bit of lino cutting before, but it wasn't to this level. Seeing the set up and everything was really cool. That's where I started to fall in love with print.”

In particular, she found a passion for mono screen printing, the art of painting directly onto screens and building layers of colour and pattern.

She was drawn to the hazy, dreamlike quality of the prints, which look almost like memories captured in an artwork.