Creative Joy Gregory on This New Venture: ‘Numerous People I Worked With Have Left Us’
In the 1980s, Joy Gregory studied at the prestigious art school alongside artist Keith Piper, then putting together a showcase of Black photographic art. “He asked me to submit my art,” recalls the veteran artist.
While Piper appreciated her work into colonial themes, racial issues, identity, and aesthetics, those in charge rejected her entry claiming it wasn’t “Black enough.” “You have to understand the context of that time,” she explains. At the time, I was photographing flowers. In my view, you have the right to create any work you want. Limiting what can and cannot be, they start to restrict yourself.”
Exploring the capabilities of the photographic medium has remained central to her work. This path began with self-portraits and experimentation. The 1990 work titled Autoportrait—featuring multiple monochrome images—remains among her most recognized creations.
Gregory’s oeuvre includes still-life, portraiture, moving image, and fabric art, tackling themes like identity, cultural memory, and linguistic traditions. Over 250 pieces are set to be displayed at her career survey named this major exhibition in London’s prestigious gallery starting this fall.
One particularly meaningful recent work has taken 20 years to finish. This project examines studies I have conducted since 2003 on dying tongues,” Gregory explains. I have collaborated with a particular group and family for over 20 years. A lot of the people who participated have died, and it was important to create something to present them.”
Hailing in England in 1959 to a Caribbean family, Gregory was artistically inclined from a young age. She painted, designed clothes, and read voraciously. My family lived close to a bookbindery, so when books were discarded, I would retrieve them,” she said. The initial photographic tool was a major gift by her relatives.
Gregory’s aspirations remain simple: “My aim was always to make good art.” The artist values experimentation and human touch rather than digital perfection. “With digital imaging, everything can be perfect. But I’m interested in the concept of human intervention—every print being one-of-a-kind and impossible to duplicate.”
Featured Works from the Show
Memory & Skin, 1998
“This was the initial major project I undertook,” notes Gregory. “It explored the dynamic linking the West and the Caribbean. Being raised in a Caribbean family in Europe, you become speaking two languages, navigating two cultures. This piece focused on bridging both worlds.”
The Fairest, 1999
Gregory got interested in why people would want to become blonde,” the artist states. She selected individuals from various European-descent and diverse origins to talk about their perspectives.”
The Blonde, 1997–2010
“In the late 1990s, we saw suddenly a lot of non-European individuals sporting blonde hair,” Gregory recalls. “They were challenging notions of self-expression and appearance. There were furious reactions in online forums, but it was intriguing to see them experimenting with self-identity.”
The Handbag Project, 1998–present
The purses are sourced back from abroad,” notes Gregory. “I aimed to create a project tactile, via alternative photographic methods. Every print became a surprise.”
Language of Flowers, 1992–2004
This choice of historical process was appropriate because it is a 19th-century technique,” she states. The work echoes botanical traditions and the human quest for endurance in a fragile world.”
The exhibition will be open from the gallery starting 8 October to 1 March.
