Artist Joy Gregory on Her New Venture: ‘Numerous Collaborators I Collaborated With Have Passed Away’

During the 1980s, the artist was enrolled at the RCA together with artist Keith Piper, then putting together a exhibit. Piper invited me to submit some work,” shares the veteran artist.

Although he appreciated her work into colonial themes, race, identity, and aesthetics, the curators rejected her submission claiming it did not seem “Black enough.” One must understand the atmosphere of that time,” Gregory explains. At the time, I was taking pictures of flowers. For me, you have the right to make any work you want. By shutting down what can and cannot be, they start to censor oneself.”

Exploring the capabilities of photography has always been central to Gregory’s practice. Her journey began with self-representation and experimentation. The 1990s piece titled Autoportrait—a set of multiple monochrome self-portraits—is one of her best-known works.

Her oeuvre includes still-life, portraits, film, and textiles, addressing themes like selfhood, cultural memory, and linguistic traditions. Over two hundred and fifty works are set to be shown at her retrospective titled this major exhibition in London’s Whitechapel Gallery starting this fall.

A particularly meaningful new piece required two decades to finish. This project focuses on studies I have conducted since 2003 on at-risk dialects,” she explains. “I’ve collaborated with a particular group and families for more than 20 years. A lot of the individuals I worked with are no longer with us, so it was important to create an object to present them.”

Born in England in 1959 to a Caribbean family, Gregory was creative from a young age. She drew, made garments, and read voraciously. “We resided near a bookbindery, so when books got thrown out, I salvaged them,” she recalls. The initial photographic tool became a significant investment by her family.

Her goals remain simple: The dream was always to make good art.” The artist prizes innovation and human touch over digital perfection. “With digital imaging, each image is perfect. Yet I’m drawn to the idea of human intervention—every image as unique and unrepeatable.”

Highlighted Pieces from the Show

Memory and Skin, 1998
“This was the initial major commission I undertook,” notes the artist. “It explored the relationship linking the West and the Caribbean. Growing up in a Jamaican household in England, you become bilingual, bicultural. This piece focused on looking between both worlds.”

The Fairest, 1999
“I got interested in the reasons someone might desire to become blond,” she comments. “I selected participants from both European and non-European backgrounds to talk about their experiences.”

The Blonde, 1997–2010
Around 1998, there were suddenly a lot of non-European individuals sporting blond hair,” Gregory recalls. “They were challenging notions of identity and beauty. Some furious responses in chatrooms, yet it was fascinating to witness them playing with self-identity.”

The Handbag Project, 1998–present
The purses are brought to London from South Africa,” notes Gregory. “I aimed to create something physical, using alternative photographic methods. Every print became a unique outcome.”

Language of Flowers, 1992–2004
This use of historical process was fitting because it was a Victorian method,” she says. “It references botanical traditions and the human quest for endurance in a fragile world.”

Catching Flies With Honey is on view at the gallery starting 8 October to early next year.