Mychael Barratt

Mychael Barratt is a Canadian-born printmaker and painter whose work is distinguished by narrative complexity, meticulous detail, and a distinctive sense of humour. Born in Toronto, he has lived and worked in the United Kingdom since 1984, developing a practice that draws extensively on art history, literature, theatre, and the lived experience of London. Barratt is particularly known for prints that reimagine historical events, famous artworks, and canonical artists—often inserting well-known figures, and occasionally their pets, into playful yet carefully constructed visual narratives. Maps have become a recurring motif in his work, used to chart moments from history or cultural life, most notably in Notes from the Underground, a multi-plate print commemorating the London Underground and its stations. He works primarily in etching, while also using lithography and screenprinting, and places strong emphasis on the traditions of hand-printing as central to the idea of the original print. Barratt studied at Central Saint Martins and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, serving as its President from 2013. His work reflects a long-standing engagement with storytelling in print, informed by artists such as Hogarth and by institutions including Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where he was a commissioned artist during Mark Rylance’s tenure.