Tinsel’s art responds to a wide variety of contemporary social and political issues whilst also referencing her everyday experience. An imaginative and emotional exploration into the seemingly mundane details of domestic life, her paintings offer biting social commentary entwined with humour, emotion and honest autobiographical narrative. Predominantly a painter, her practice also includes printmaking, working with found materials, installation and public ‘art stunts’.
Tinsel spent 5 years creating a body of work in response to the housing crisis in London, her artwork was selected to be part of Banksy’s Dismaland in 2015, Banksy is a collector of Tinsel's work. In 2017 she published a book called ‘Priced Out’ with Dunlin Press, it is a personal account of the declining state of housing in the capital through the eyes of an artist.
Tinsel co-founded A-side B-side Gallery and Studios in Hackney, London in 2012 but left the project in 2016 to pursue her own art practice. She has curated and co-curated many exhibitions. Sometimes she collaborates with childhood friend Twinkle Troughton, together they have created several ‘art stunts’ including kidnapping a banker and dressing as traffic wardens to fine 500 cars with free artwork. From 2000-2007 Tinsel was one of The Fairies and a singer in The Fairies Band. Tinsel has exhibited widely across the UK and Europe. She has worked with Jealous Gallery, The Pure Evil Gallery, The Art Car Boot Fair and Galerie Michaela Stock in Vienna amongst others. Tinsel was invited to be a keynote speaker at the first edition of The Art Conference in London in 2016, the event was produced by Tina Ziegler of Moniker Art Fair. In 2018 Tinsel created an artwork for a charity auction put together by Pavement Licker.
Tinsel Edwards was born in the Midlands in 1979 and is now based in Glasgow, Scotland. She studied at Goldsmiths College (Fine Art BA) and lived in London for 19 years before moving to Glasgow in 2017. She divides her time between working for arts organisation WASPS (an art studio provider), making art and spending time with her family.