
British Artist Daniel Lismore
Standing at 6-foot-4 and often dressed in decorative excess, Daniel Lismore is a whirlwind of colour even on his dullest day. He has earned a cult status in the fashion and art worlds, featuring in Vogue and i-D magazine. He is also a proud activist, working with Vivienne Westwood on her ‘Climate Revolution’ campaign.
Since moving to the capital from the Midlands, Lismore has lived all over London. Then Battersea stole his heart so he set up home there. ‘I love walking home every day, looking over at the Thames. In summer it is especially beautiful, the air is scented with flowers. It is just gorgeous.’
In 2016, Lismore was the subject of a major exhibition in the States titled ‘Be Yourself; Everyone Else Is Already Taken’. The show explored the connection between dress and identity, promoting the idea that we can be truly individual. More than 30 of Lismore’s eccentric costumes, made up of over 3,000 layered articles of clothing, accessories, trinkets and baubles, went be on display. While each mannequin’s face was cast directly from Lismore’s own, then hand-painted to match his own makeup palette.
But it’s in London that he finds everything he needs as an artist.
‘I love London,’ he says. ‘It’s the cultural capital of the world. Everyone who is anything is here. As an artist I embraced that. I love meeting people and being inspired by different cultures from around the world. London is the perfect place to be and there’s nowhere better in the city than Battersea.’
Lismore is now a public ambassador for Tate Britain, across the Thames from Embassy Gardens, and creative director of fashion label Sorapol.