Joshua Y'Barbo

Autumnal Art Club As autumn turns to winter,  we prepare for the northern hemisphere's colder, darker winter days.  In doing so,  I recently designed an Art Club based on autumn and gratitude as  part of my  artist-in-residence at the  TEAM LEWIS Foundation .  Additionally,  I curated the  TEAM LEWIS Emerging Artist Annual Exhibition  in 2021, which included artworks and designs made by recent graduates of  Chelsea College of Art , University of the Arts London. So, I've included two artworks :  Tom to David  (2021) by  Pippy Stephenson  and  Bringing Me Serenity for the Man Lost and the Man I Am Yet to Know  (2021) by  Mhairi Rankin . Although Stephenson works conceptually across materials as a writer and Rankin produces highly skilled paintings, both artists' work centres on people and relationships with others. Art Club Art Clubs include art activities designed to boost social interactions and support participants' mental well-being through drawing and discussions ab

Interview with Mhairi Rankin Conducted 14 Jan 2022 By Joshua Y'Barbo Nov 2022 The artist discusses the connections between relationships with people, missing her grandfather due to Alzheimer's, and painting commissioned portraitures. Bringing Me Serenity for the Man Lost and the Man I Am Yet to Know (2021) by Mhairi Rankin, Acrylic paint, BA (Hons) Fine Art Mhairi Rankin (MR): I'm Mhairi Rankin, and my course was BA Fine Art at Chelsea. The work I create is mainly portraiture, and just say, what it's based around, or Joshua Y'Barbo (JY): Could you tell me about your practice? What do you make work about? How do you go about making your work? And what do you think about when making your work? And do you still make work? MR: I make work based on connections and relationships we have with people. If I was going down the street, and I saw an old couple having lunch or something like that, something very simple, very mundane. Maybe someone's shopping or something t

  The TEAM LEWIS Foundation 2022-2023 Emerging Artist Exhibition  includes a selection of emerging artists from Chelsea College of Art, including BA Fine Art, Graphic Communication and Textile Design courses and Graduate Diploma in Fine Art, Interior Design, and Textiles courses. The collection of original artworks, designs, and prints gives an overview of the creative talent coming out of Chelsea College. At the same time, a series of interviews available  on my blog  provides further context to the ideas and conditions of recent graduates working through the pandemic.   You can find last year's virtual exhibition  here . We intended to map out this year's exhibition in the new year.    Drinks reception  on  Monday, 12 Dec, 17:00-19:00 at Millbank Tower, 22nd Floor Millbank, London SW1P 4RS It's essential you RSVP   We need to provide security with an attendance list for the evening. Please feel free to invite friends and family. To  RSVP , please email Amber Ashby - at  a

Black History Month An Art Club on Racial Equity, and two Artists' Profiles in Honor of Black History Month by Joshua Y'Barbo Oct 2022 As an artist-in-residence at the TEAM LEWIS Foundation in London, I curated the TEAM LEWIS Emerging Artist Annual Exhibition  in 2021, which included artworks and designs made by recent graduates of Chelsea College of Art , University of the Arts London. I also had the pleasure of writing and delivering an Art Club on Racial Equity for a variety of groups from APAC, EMEA, the UK and the US. In honour of Black History Month , I'm presenting elements from the Art Club as well as two artist profiles, including two paintings: 60 Years...(2021) by Bryana Burke and "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" (2021) by Natnael Dawit.   Art Club: Racism Nope Nope Nope! Early this year, I wrote an art club on racial equity, which I started by writing a session on equality.   It didn’t take long to see that racial equality and equity differed. In

Interview with Bryana Burke Conducted on 6 May 2022 The artist talks about the importance of family, inequality within the art market, the significance of textiles in her paintings, and her current passion for sewing.  by Joshua Y'Barbo Oct 2022 Bryana Burke,  60 years (2021),  Mixed Media Textiles and Paint BA (Hons) Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art (2021) On May 6th, 2022, I spoke with Bryana Burke about her work and the important influence her family plays and  the significance of textiles in her paintings.  We also discussed  inequality within the art market, problem-solving adviceand her current passion for sewing.  Joshua Y’Barbo (JY) how have you been? Byrana Burke (BB) Do you know what? This side of this year I've been a lot better than I was. I don't know if you remember. I explained before, I had a lot of family issues, so unfortunately, my dad passed away whilst I was completing the course. JY My deepest condolences, I'm sorry about that. BB Thank you