Charlotte Bracegirdle is an artist also known as My Paper Bag Life. She is known for creating self-portraits on paper bags and wearing them as a means of documenting her daily world. What began as a playful experiment has since grown into a distinctive artistic practice. One that spans performance, drawing, sculpture and film.
A Daily Visual Diary
Charlotte describes her work as a visual diary, often creating films on a daily basis. These short pieces bring her paper bag characters to life, combining movement, music and raw emotion. Each bag carries a different expression. But it’s through Charlotte’s movement, walking, dancing, interacting, that the faces truly animate.
Artists of the East End with Charlotte Bracegirdle
Charlotte Bracegirdle interviewed for Artists of the East End
Playful, Curious and Unsettling
The results are playful, curious and sometimes unsettling. As Charlotte explains, “people generally smile and find it really entertaining and funny. Then they’re a little bit unsure. Maybe they’re even scared at first. But once they see I’m approachable, that I’m smiling underneath, they really enjoy it. They linger on it, and they realise it’s about the human experience”.
Emotions in Motion
At the heart of Charlotte’s work are the emotions that shape us, anger, fear, panic and anxiety. She is fascinated by empathy and forgiveness, qualities she feels the world needs more of. Observing people on public transport, she notices subtle details that reveal inner emotions. Often she sees glimpses of the childlike selves still present beneath the surface.
My Paper Bag Life
It is this attention to human behaviour that makes My Paper Bag Life so resonant. The bags act as mirrors for our inner lives, exaggerating emotions we may wish to hide or struggle to express. Viewers have even told Charlotte they wish they had their own “folder of faces.” Sometimes wanting to to choose their own mask for feelings they can’t express.
Challenging Beauty Standards
Charlotte also reflects on society’s obsession with image. In a world dominated by impossible beauty standards, her work imagines another way. “If they had a bag they could just put on, then no one would judge them”. The work becomes a playful but poignant critique, encouraging acceptance of ourselves as we are.
A Journey Without a Map
What drives Charlotte most is the uncertainty of her practice. She never expected to spend so much time drawing portraits, but each new idea opens another path. “I have no idea where it’s going, and that’s what keeps me excited,” she says.
This sense of openness, combined with her fascination for people and their emotions, makes My Paper Bag Life compelling. Playful, emotional, and deeply human, Charlotte’s work reminds us that behind every face, paper or otherwise, their is a complexity in being alive.
Charlotte Bracegirdle was interviewed on 17 August 2025 as part of the Inspiring City ‘Artists of the East End’ series. You can experience more of her ‘Paper Bag Life’ by following her instagram.
For more Inspiring City articles you will like, take a look at…
- Paper Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London
- ‘Too Much of a Good Thing’ exhibition from Charlotte Rose
- Street Beauty – A Journey into the World of Street Art
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Great article. I’m particularly moved by how the work both challenges beauty standards and invites empathy, encouraging viewers to embrace authenticity instead of perfection. This daily visual diary feels both playful and deeply human, reminding us how art can speak quietly and powerfully about who we are.
I agree, it’s just a really good playful way of interacting with emotions and the world. The little daily videos are really good and the bags are so unique