Joshua Y'Barbo

Interview with Paige Doran By Joshua Y'Barbo  Paige Doran is a textile artist and designer investigating the benefits and the problems of using AI to generate virtual textiles and physical products for the textile and craft industries. Doran prefers tactile weaving designs that can be touched over digital replications of AI-generated designs.  Weave 1-6 (2023),  Cotton yarn and paper yarn, by  Paige Doran MA Textile Design Joshua Y'Barbo (JY):  Tell me about your practice: What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? What do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work? Paige Doran (PD): My practice primarily concentrates on colour and texture. I gain inspiration from photography; I love noticing natural colour combinations I see day-to-day and then translating this into technical hand-woven samples. My MA practice is an inquiry into the enhancement and/or hindrance of adding AI-generated and virtual textiles to the textil...

Interview with Yuyang (Lily) Wei By Joshua Y'Barbo Study of a Taihu Rock ( 2023),   Oil on canvas, by  Lily Wei BA (Hons) Fine Art Joshua Y'Barbo (JY):  Tell me about your practice. What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? What do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work? Yuyang (Lily) Wei (LW):  One of my investigations is the struggle of antique repatriation from the side of the origin country/ community.  In an increasingly cosmopolitan society, citizens of all nationalities and cultures are becoming more local in whichever country they are on the planet. However, by decreasing attention to cultural diversity and promoting the cultural homogenisation and commercialisation of culture, 'encyclopaedic' museums are ignoring their own participation in unfortunate historical events, supporting cruel conquests under the guise of education. Foraging the museums of London and beyond, I search for misplaced Chinese an...

 Interview with Dirk Tsai Petrichor III  ( 2023),  Acrylic and spray paint on canvas, by  Dirk Tsai (Ya Ke Tsai) MA Fine Ar Joshua Y'Barbo (JY):  Tell me about your practice: What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? What do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work? Dirk Tsai (DT):   Yes, I do still make artwork. Now, I am working on blurring the line between the painting and the sculpture. Actually, I have made a lot of artwork. The concept is about taking down the limitations, standards, and definitions of society, but I only focused on pure painting. Then I realized that the biggest limitation was the frame of the painting and the size you got. Therefore, I started to extend the stretch bar of painting and expected how crazy it could be. As a result, there is one thing that I am doing now, is challenging everything from traditional. JY:  How was studying and finishing your degree? What had the most impac...

Interview with Gengjun Fan by Joshua Y'Barbo They All Lie to You (2023),  Painting Installation, by  Gengjun Fan MA Fine Art Joshua Y'Barbo (JY): Tell me about your practice: What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? What do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work? Gengjun Fan (GF): Hi, I am Fan Gengjun, a visual artist and writer. I have often pondered the location of photography as a media paradigm in contemporary art practice. I believe that in contemporary culture, photography is almost everything, the plane of immanence: photography is the screen, advertising, consumption, desire, Instagram; photography is autopilot, algorithm, agency, perjury; photography is the screen, advertising, consumption, desire, Instagram. I believe that in contemporary culture, photography is almost everything, the plane of immanence: photography is the screen, advertising, consumption, desire, Instagram; photography is autopilot, algorithm, agen...

 Interview with Pallavi Verma  by Joshua Y'Barbo A Wild-Escape: Woven through Conversations (2023), Textiles (nettle yarn), by Pallavi Verma  Joshua Y'Barbo (JY) : Tell me about your practice. What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? What do you think about when making your work? Do you still make work? Pallavi Verma (PV): I am an artist and weaver passionate about exploring the beauty and healing potential of urban wild plants, often overlooked as mere weeds in urban settings but holding significant value in herbalism. My exploration of foraging and botany highlights our urban disconnect from nature, as we rarely recognise the abundance of edible and medicinal plants around us. Through my weaving and natural dyeing practice, I strive to re-establish the lost connection between people and wild plants. In addition to my personal work, I engage with the public through performative weaving in parks and workshops in community gardens. These spaces ...