Es Devlin invites the UK to become part of a collective digital portrait at the National Portrait Gallery
Es Devlin in her studio, considering the markings in a digital portrait created during the testing stage © Google Arts & Culture Lab.
Es Devlin is inviting people across the UK to become part of a vast evolving digital artwork at the National Portrait Gallery with the launch of A National Portrait, a new participatory project created in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab.
Opening at the National Portrait Gallery on 14th May 2026 and running until 27th October 2026, A National Portrait will transform public participation into a continually shifting collective portrait of the nation. Installed within the Gallery’s History Makers space, the work invites anyone in the UK to upload a photograph of themselves through a dedicated online platform, where it will be transformed into an animated digital portrait inspired by Devlin’s charcoal and chalk drawing practice.
Once submitted, participants instantly become part of the artwork displayed inside the gallery, while also receiving a downloadable digital edition of their portrait. The project marks the culmination of three years of collaborative research between Devlin and Google Arts & Culture Lab.
Known internationally for her immersive large-scale installations and stage designs, Devlin describes the work as a response to increasingly divisive conversations around national identity, proposing instead a constantly evolving portrait shaped through collective participation.
“The National Portrait Gallery belongs to us. It’s the largest collection of portraits in the world and its over 220,000 artworks are part of our cultural commons. It is a mirror of us: it reflects who we’ve been and who we are becoming. Now everyone in every part of the UK can become a co-author of A National Portrait and watch as their face etches itself into the collective artwork exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery. The portrait can hold all of us, together, whatever our backgrounds and beliefs, constantly redrawing itself to include each new participant.”
said Devlin.
Alongside the digital installation, Devlin is also encouraging audiences to reconnect with physical acts of portrait-making and drawing. A free public drawing event led by the artist will take place at the gallery on 14th May, accompanied by an online step-by-step drawing class accessible nationwide.
The National Portrait Gallery will also continue its free Drop-In Drawing sessions throughout the exhibition period, with workshops scheduled for 12th June, 3rd July, 4th September and 2nd October 2026, with the final session hosted by Devlin herself.
Freya Salway, Head of the Lab at Google Arts & Culture, said the project continues the organisation’s long-running collaboration with Devlin exploring artist-led uses of advanced technologies.
“Our decade-long collaboration with Es Devlin is a privilege, and continues our program that supports artist-led experimentation with advanced technologies,”
said Salway.
“We are thrilled that the National Portrait Gallery is displaying A National Portrait, offering the UK public a personal way to see themselves reflected on the walls of this iconic institution.”
Composite image of portraits from A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery by Es Devlin in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture Lab, 2026, NPG S47. Image courtesy of Es Devlin Studio.
Dr Flavia Frigeri, Curatorial and Collections Director at the National Portrait Gallery, added:
“We’re delighted to welcome this collaboration between Es Devlin and Google Arts & Culture Lab to the National Portrait Gallery. For the next six months, audiences will be able to not only observe but to become part of this portrait itself, pushing the boundaries of portraiture.”
The project continues Devlin’s ongoing exploration of collective experience, participation and public space, positioning portraiture not as a fixed representation of identity, but as a shared and continually changing process.
Portraits can be submitted to A National Portrait for the National Portrait Gallery via goo.gle/national-portrait. The website will go live on Thursday, 14th May 2026.
Categories
Tags
Author
Mark Westall
Mark Westall is the Founder and Editor of FAD magazine –
