Tam Joseph (born 1947) is a

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

-born British painter, formerly known as Tom Joseph. Described as "a uniquely talented, multidimensional artist" by art historian

Eddie Chambers Edward Chambers (born March 29, 1982) is an American former professional boxer. He challenged once for a unified world heavyweight title in 2010. He was ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the world by '' The Ring'' at the conclusion of 200 ...

, "Tam Joseph has contributed a number of memorable paintings that locate themselves at the centre of socio-political commentary, often making work that shocks as it amuses, amuses as it shocks. Typical in this regard are paintings for which Joseph is universally loved and respected, such as 'Spirit of the Carnival' and 'UK School Report'."Eddie Chambers
"Tam Joseph - This is History"
(1998). Spirit of the Carnival, Life Between Islands, Tate, 2021

Spirit of the Carnival, Life Between Islands, Tate, 2021

Biography

Born in the

Commonwealth of Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It ...

, Joseph came at the age of eight to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where he still lives and works. He has been quoted as saying: "I am

Windrush Windrush may refer to: Places in England * Windrush Square, precinct in south London * River Windrush, a river in Gloucestershire * Windrush, Gloucestershire, a village in Gloucestershire ** RAF Windrush, a Royal Air Force station in World War II ...

.... I didn't experience growing up as a Black child in England." In 1967 he studied at the

Central School of Art and Design The Central School of Art and Design was a public school of fine and applied arts in London, England. It offered foundation and degree level courses. It was established in 1896 by the London County Council as the Central School of Arts and Cr ...

, following this with a BA course at the

Slade School of Art The UCL Slade School of Fine Art (informally The Slade) is the art school of University College London (UCL) and is based in London, England. It has been ranked as the UK's top art and design educational institution. The school is organised as ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He worked on '' Yellow Submarine'', the 1968 animated film featuring

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

. He travelled in Europe and the Far East during the 1970s, and subsequently enrolled at the

London College of Printing The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...

, graduating with a Dip AD in Typographic design. While working for the magazine ''Africa Journal'' in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he also travelled extensively in Africa. In 1979 he illustrated Buchi Emecheta's children's book ''Titch the Cat'', published by

Allison and Busby Allison & Busby (A & B) is a publishing house based in London established by Clive Allison and Margaret Busby in 1967. The company has built up a reputation as a leading independent publisher. Background Launching as a publishing company in May ...

. According to InIVA (the Institute of International Visual Art), "Joseph's work is often figurative and centred on the themes of reality, or rather the surreality, of life in the city." In the documentary film ''Tam Joseph; Work in Progress'' he talks about his start as a painter and how he enjoys using tools he himself has made. This film was made over a period spanning seven years (2011–2017) and includes his work in sculpture, painting and graphic design.Erik Moore
"Tam Joseph; Work in Progress"
5 December 2019. He recognises

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

as one of his main references in sculpture and admires how he was capable of looking at things and offering a new interpretation of them. One of Joseph's best known paintings is his 1983 work ''Spirit of the Carnival'' (a reference to the

Notting Hill Carnival The Notting Hill Carnival is an annual Caribbean festival event that has taken place in London since 1966

), described by '' Time Out'' as a "jaw-dropping image of a carnival masquerader being kettled by the police". Another notable work, dating from 1983, is ''UK School Report'', which depicts the passage of a Black youth through the British education system in three portraits that are captioned: "Good at sports", "Likes music" and "Needs surveillance". His exhibitions have included: ''Caribbean Art at the Crossroads'',

El Museo del Barrio El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the Cit ...

Studio Museum in Harlem The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American art museum devoted to the work of artists of African descent. The museum's galleries are currently closed in preparation for a building project that will replace the current building, located at 144 W ...

and

Queens Museum The Queens Museum, formerly the Queens Museum of Art, is an art museum and educational center located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City, United States. The museum was founded in 1972, and has among its pe ...

, 2012; ''This is History'', Gallery II and touring, 1998; ''Learning to Walk'', Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling, and touring; ''Us and Dem'',

Storey Institute The Storey, formerly the Storey Institute, is a multi-purpose building located at the corner of Meeting House Lane and Castle Hill in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Its main part is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a desi ...

, Lancaster, 1994; ''Back to School'', The Showroom, London, 1989; ''Black Art: Plotting the Course'', Oldham Art Gallery and touring, 1988; ''Big Yellow'', Bedford Hill Gallery, 1988; ''Observers are Worried'', Painting and Sculpture, St Pancras Library and

Shaw Theatre The Shaw Theatre is a theatre in Somers Town, in the London Borough of Camden. It is a part of the Pullman London St Pancras hotel, located off Euston Road. St Pancras library Before being refurbished in 1998, the Shaw Theatre originally ope ...

, London, 1986; ''Monkey Dey Chop, Baboon Dey Cry'',

Barbican Arts Centre The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

, London, 1984. His work was included in the major group exhibition '' No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990'' at London's

Guildhall Art Gallery The Guildhall Art Gallery houses the art collection of the City of London, England. The museum is located in the Moorgate area of the City of London. It is a stone building in a semi-Gothic style intended to be sympathetic to the historic Guild ...

(10 July 2015 – 24 January 2016).

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in ...

's landmark exhibition ''Life Between Islands: Caribbean-British Art 1950s – Now'' (1 December 2021–3 April 2022), celebrating 70 years of Caribbean-British art, prominently featured Joseph's work ''Spirit of the Carnival''.

Selected group exhibitions

* 1984: '' Into the Open: New Paintings, Prints and Sculptures by Contemporary Black Artists'',

Mappin Art Gallery Weston Park Museum is a museum in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. It is one mile west of Sheffield city centre within Weston Park. It is Sheffield's largest museum and is housed in a Grade II* listed building and managed by Museums Sheffie ...

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

–– ''Creation For Liberation 2nd Open Exhibition By Black Artists'', Brixton Art Gallery, London * 1985: ''Blackskin/Bluecoat'', Bluecoat Gallery,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

(4 April – 4 May 1985) * 1986: ''From Two Worlds'',

Whitechapel Art Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the fir ...

, London (30 July – 7 September 1986) * 1987: ''Double Vision'',

Cartwright Hall Cartwright Hall is the civic art gallery in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, situated about a mile from the city centre in the Manningham district. It was built on the former site of Manningham Hall using a gift of £40,000 donated by Samuel ...

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

–– Prema Art Gallery, Gloucestershire, The Old Mill,

Uley Uley is a village and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Elcombe and Shadwell and Bencombe, all to the south of the village of Uley, and the hamlet of Crawley to the north. The village is ...

* 1988: ''Black Art: Plotting the Course'', Oldham Art Gallery –– ''The Artist Abroad'', Lincolnshire,

Usher Gallery The Usher Gallery is an art museum in Lincoln, England. The gallery displays a collection of artworks by painters such as J. M. W. Turner and L. S. Lowry. Established in 1927, it is run as part of the Collection. History James Ward Usher wa ...

* 1990: ''Steel by Design'',

Scunthorpe Museum North Lincolnshire Museum (formerly known as Scunthorpe Museum) is a local museum in the town of Scunthorpe, north Lincolnshire, England. Overview The museum is on Oswald Road, near the Scunthorpe railway station. It is run by North Linco ...

* 1992: ''Blast from the Past'', Glasgow Art Museum ––

The Minories, Colchester The Minories is a Grade II listed building and gardens situated at the east end of High Street in Colchester, Essex, England, near Hollytrees, Gate House and Colchester Castle. It currently houses The Minories Galleries which are run by Colches ...

* 1993: Greenwich Citizens Art Gallery * 1994: ''Us n' Dem'', Lancaster City Art Galleries * 1995: ''ART'CRA'',

Accra, Ghana Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

––

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

, London
–– Gallerie de la Salamandre,

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

* 1997: Bradford, Museums and Art Galleries –– Mappin Art Gallery, Sheffield * 1998: ''Le Corps Humain'', Gallerie des Arênes, Nîmes * 1999: Tullie House Art Gallery,

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

* 2000: Galerie HD Nick,

Aubais Aubais () is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. The little town is in an about 20 km distance from Nîmes and Aigues-Mortes. The recreation area of La Grande-Motte is reachable also in a distance of about 20 km. ...

* 2006: Gallerie de L'Ombres, Nîmes * 2007: ''Hawkins & Co'', Elspeth Kyle Gallery, London * 2008: ''Hawkins & Co'', Novas Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool –– ''Crossing the Waters'', Cartwright Hall, Bradford * 2009: The Tavern Gallery,

Meldreth Meldreth is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, located around south-west of Cambridge. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 1,783. History A large Bronze Age hoard was found near Meldreth railway s ...

, Herts –– Pic n'Mix, Woolworth, Leytonstone High Road, London * 2010: Gallery 101, Mansion House, London * 2012: ''Material Matters EastwingX'',

Courtauld Institute The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation. It is among the most prestigious specialist coll ...

, London –– ''Caribbean: Crossroads of the World'',

Queens Museum of Art The Queens Museum, formerly the Queens Museum of Art, is an art museum and educational center located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City, United States. The museum was founded in 1972, and has among its p ...

New York; El Museo, New York;

* 2013: ''50 Years post Birmingham'', The Art Gallery: University of Maryland College –– ''Tehran Calling'', London Print Workshop * 2014: ''DAK'ART 2014'',

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

–– Perez Museum of Art, Miami, ''Caribbean: Crossroads of the World''
–– ''Tam Joseph: "Back in School"'', The Reading Room, London
–– ''"Where Do I End and You Begin?"''

Edinburgh Art Festival The Edinburgh Art Festival is an annual visual arts festival, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, during August and coincides with the Edinburgh International and Fringe festivals. The Art Festival was established in 2004, and receives public funding fr ...

* 2015: '' No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990'',

, London * 2020: ''Evolution - Tam Joseph Paintings'', Felix & Spear Gallery, London * 2021–2022: ''Life Between Islands'',

Biography

Selected group exhibitions

See also

References

External links