Biography

Joyce Treasure (b. 1965 Birmingham, UK) lives in London. She graduated with a BA Hons, First Class degree, in Black Studies from Birmingham City University in 2020. Her work has been shown internationally, including 198 Contemporary Gallery, London (2023); Lapworth Museum, Birmingham (2022 / 2021); Stryx Gallery, Birmingham (2022); Grand Union, Birmingham (2020); Tate, Liverpool (2018); Selfridges, Birmingham (2018); Lovely Gallery, London (2016); Sacred Art, Wales (2016); Peckham Space, London (2012); Kijkruimte, Amsterdam, (2012); Deptford X, London (2012); Space Station Sixty Five, London (2010); Mediamatic BANK Amsterdam, Amsterdam (2008); ICA, London (2007).

Acquisitions of work include Bruntwood, Birmingham and Winchester University, and she was awarded an arts residency at Grand Union and Bruntwood, where she sat on the board as a trustee, 2021 - 2025. Residencies include working with Lapworth Museum and Black Art Forum in 2021 and 2022. Following the launch of Stryx VR gallery space, Joyce was awarded a SPOT VR Residency in Jan 2022. In addition to being an awardee of the Womxn of Colour Art Award, 2022, from 198 Contemporary Arts Gallery, she facilitates workshops working 1-2-1 with groups and was the recipient of an Arts Council, DYCP fund.

My multidisciplinary practice explores the hidden dimensions of mythology and ritual, examining how changing climates and colonial legacies exert on bodies, places, and overall well-being. Navigating the intersection of politics, care, and satire, I transform assemblages of objects and images into allegories of lived experiences. Embracing a diverse array of mediums, including collage, sculpture, painting, drawings, performance, film, new technology, and speculative writing, my practice becomes an exploration of the intricate relationships between human narratives and the evolving world around us.
During my time working in the wardrobe department of various West End theatrical productions, I was able to gain valuable insights into the world of performance and film production. In 2017, I undertook a research trip to Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, Haiti, and New York. A journey that I identify as a roaming pilgrimage, to heal and reconnect with erased histories retracing landscapes that resonated with my 2016 DNA results. These experiences have become an important part of the foundation of my current multidisciplinary artistic practice. I often starts my creative process with a free-form approach, drawing inspiration from a range of objects. These objects, seen as elements of recycling aesthetics, serve as living catalysts with performative agency. I am interested in the delicate balance of power and fragility that ebbs and flows between the individual and the collective, the personal and social.

CV: Click here - recent projects, research, exhibitions, and collaborations.

Shows and Residencies

Past Solo Shows

2019 - Solo show | Cornerblock Building
2018 - Solo show | Ashburton Hall, Croydon
2014 - Solo show | Calabash of Culture

Past Group Shows

Residencies

Art Festivals

Street Art

2016 - Dulwich Outdoor Gallery | Street Art
2015 - Turnpike Art Group | In The Frame
2013 - Street Art Festival | Sydenham Art Festival

Film

Studio

Based in London, UK