University of the Arts London Alumni

Since completing her BA (Hons) in Painting from in 2005, Imogen Paton’s work has evolved across mediums and causes; from large-scale portraits and sculptural projects made from household waste to founding initiatives focused on community support and wellbeing.

During lockdown, she began creating and selling wall-mounted animal heads made entirely from non-recyclable plastic household waste. The waste sculptures went on to be featured in Westminster Abbey and appeared on a television programme by Grayson Perry, culminating in a display at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery.

She’s also the founder of , which is a card deck designed to help people explore topics around pregnancy, birth, postpartum and emotional wellbeing, in an accessible and empowering way. At its core are “about improving the way we support people through major life transitions — especially experiences that can feel isolating, medicalised or fragmented.”

The cards were created in response to her own experiences of feeling “unsupported, uninformed and overwhelmed during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood, and recognising how many other people felt the same… a big part of the mission is inclusivity - creating tools and spaces that feel supportive, non-judgemental and accessible to people from different backgrounds and experiences.”

As a business owner, she also has some insightful advice for anyone wanting to start their own business:

💥Start before you feel fully ready.
💥 Don’t underestimate the value of your lived experience.
💥 Build genuine relationships and community around your work.
💥 Be willing to ask for help and learn new skills.
💥 And most importantly, create something you genuinely care about, because passion and purpose are what carry you through the difficult stages.
💥Success rarely happens overnight, but consistency, authenticity and resilience make a huge difference over time.

Read more about Imogen’s work in our interview: https://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/stories/meet-imogen-paton

All images: Imogen Paton

Amayo Duke is a multidisciplinary creative and storyteller from Nigeria with a background in filmmaking and entrepreneurship. A 2024 graduate of 's MA Fashion Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Amayo’s work explores how storytelling and craft can create immersive ways of engaging with culture and history.

Her project Community (pictured) is a 20-piece crochet puzzle which was the unexpected result of the research Amayo did for her dissertation. “Coming off all the research … I had all these ideas around educating through interactivity and that's largely how the piece was born. I unearthed all this research that said how important interactivity is to retain information and I wanted to explore that theory with live, in-person experiences.”

The puzzle is her “attempt to reimagine culture in a modern context through play”. It’s also her chance to explore the importance of cultural storytelling and reconnect younger generations with Nigerian culture; “Cultural storytelling is a form of education that is sorely missing from contemporary Nigeria” says Amayo, “we don't know our own history largely due to colonisation and that means that a lot of our culture is either demonised or left behind. Culture, good or bad is always made in community and I hope through my pieces, I can build a path for re-imagination and reconnection in younger generations.”

Read our full interview with Amayo via the link in our bio.

Image credits:
1. Community on display at the Speaking from the Margins: Black History Month exhibition at

2. Close-up of Community, on display at the Speaking from the Margins: Black History Month exhibition at

3. 'Community' (work in progress), Amayo Duke

4. Community on display at the Speaking from the Margins: Black History Month exhibition at

5. Headshot of

We caught up with alumna Elleanna Chapman (), whose work was recently shown at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the Good Eye Projects group exhibition, alongside 4 other UAL graduates.

Featured UAL alumni artists included in the exhibition:

• Elleanna Chapman () – 2021, Foundation Diploma in Fine Art, CSM

• Lily Bunney – 2020, BA Fine Art, CSM

• Sonya Derviz – 2014, Foundation Diploma, CSM

• Amélie Mckee – 2018, BA Fine Art, Chelsea

• Leon Scott-Engel – 2019, Foundation Diploma in Fine Art, CSM

"Given my background, I never thought that being an artist was doable. It takes some hard graft, and lots of plate-spinning, for sure, but it’s possible. Anyone should feel that they can be an artist, and this is, ultimately, one of the key ideas I’m trying to fight for through my work."

📸
1 - Elleanna Chapman, studio portrait by Hayley Jay
2 - Attack of the 50 Foot Comrade, courtesy of the artist, Good Eye Projects, and the Saatchi Gallery 2026, rhinestones, glue, acrylic, plywood, inkjet prints on paper, wheatpaste, approximately 300 by 227 by 7 centimetres | Image credits: Elleanna Chapman
3 - I am the American Dream (Britney, 2004), courtesy of the artist, Teaspoon Projects, and Basel Social Club 2026, rhinestones, glue, acrylic, marker pen, spray paint, MDF, 61 by 44 by 2.5 centimetres | Image credits: Elleanna Chapman


🔗 Head to this link to read the full story: https://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/stories/meet-elleanna-chapman

We caught up with alumna and multidisciplinary artist Ioana Elecfi ( ) to discuss life after graduating from MA Illustration at Camberwell.

Her body of work, Tools of Reckoning, was recently exhibited at in King’s Cross. The series of drawings responds to r**e and sexual violence against women, reimagining familiar household objects - scissors, an iron, a knife -as instruments of confrontation and accountability.

“The MA helped me realise I was more inclined towards fine art. The course gave me something different to what I expected when I applied, which now feels like the most useful part of it...”

📸
1 – Portrait of Ioana Elecfi | Photography: Anthony Lycett
2 - Illustration of Ioana Elecfi | Photography: Anthony Lycett
3 - Illustration of Ioana Elecfi | Photography: Anthony Lycett

🔗 Head to this link to read the full interview: https://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/stories/meet-ioana-elecfi

We caught up with Saint Martins’ alumna and filmmaker Yichu Li to talk about her time at college and her recent achievements. Her films have recently won Best AI Film at both the Asian Art Film Festival and the AI International Film Festival, alongside nominations for the Lumen Prize, Arte Laguna Prize, and the Next Thing Moving Image Award.

“Trust the process and enjoy it! The work that feels most uncertain, most unfinished, most yours - that's usually the work worth making. Don't rush to make it legible to everyone.”

📸
1 - Yichu Li | Image credit: Yichu Li
2 - Yichu Li - ANCORA | Image credit: Yichu Li
3 - Yichu Li - Yellow Lambo | Image credit: Richard Sturges

🔗 Head to this link to read the full interview: https://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/stories/meet-yichu-li

We caught up with London College of Fashion alumna Michele Fornera to chat about how she came up with the idea for her .podcast .️ We also dive into her career journey since graduation and what it takes to build a creative platform from scratch.

“Looking back, every step has shaped the way I think about fashion, storytelling, and the creative world, even when the path wasn't obvious at the time.”

📸
1 – Michele Fornera | Image credit: Shaun James Cox
2 – UN/INVITED podcast cover | Artwork by Riley Axon

🔗 Head to this link to read the full interview: https://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/stories/meet-michele-fornera

We caught up with London College of Communication alumni and twins Juan and Daniel Montanchez to hear more about their time at college and their London-based business, Vista Pictures.

After participating in the LCC Accelerate programme and the UAL Pitch It! competition in 2025, they have now been nominated for the UAL Future 50 Founders and Freelancers Awards 2026.

They both studied an MA in Graphic Branding & Identity at London College of Communication (LCC).

All 📸 by: .pictures

🔗 Head to this link to read the full interview:
https://www.arts.ac.uk/alumni-and-friends/stories/discover-vista-pictures