Following the triumphant opening of her first solo exhibition, ‘“We have already paid”: Journeys and Kinship’ at arc Gallery, Christopher Yiannitsaros speaks to Jean Joseph to discover more about the intellectual, historical and emotional impetus behind her latest body of work.
CY: Hello Jean. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview and congratulations on the success of ‘“We have already paid”: Journeys and Kinship’. I attended the private viewing last Thursday evening at it was an absolutely sensational experience. Could explain where the inspiration behind the heavily nuanced title ‘We have already paid’? Who has already paid and how?
JJ: Hello Chris, and thank you. “We’ve already paid…” was a response given by my sister and I after having been informed of the entrance fee to Elmina Fortress on the Cape Coast of Ghana. Elmina is now a museum and monument to enslaved people who left the shores of West Africa to be dispersed in the Americas. So for people like myself – the descendants – it has powerful significance in our human story.
The title was imprinted, you could even say stored, in an accessible surface area of my mind long before any art was produced. I wrote a travelogue during my trip to Ghana, words which included this very personal, yet simple response to a monumental and traumatic chronology. Once the work had begun to manifest, “We’ve already paid…” emerged as the title and guiding inspiration. These words became a great discussion point both during and after the paintings had been produced. I stood back from the title on more than at one occasion to assess it, after having been questioned about its validity. However, the strength of feeling stood the test, because no one can give it validity but myself and all of those who have made that ‘pilgrimage’.
CY: To your mind, will there ever come a point where European civilisation will have ‘paid’ for their facilitation of the slave trade?
JJ: One word: Reparations. A word that tends to cause furore as it lands like a large piece of hot coal from a height – right in the middle of the establishments garden party! This show was not about payment in any commodity. Instead, I’m trying to suggest that the descendants of the enslaved have made the payment already. It’s a reversed payment – already made.
Also, you might have noticed that the main focus of the exhibition was not to highlight the actual European, Arabic or any other enslavers – including the African. We cannot get away from the history and the pain, so it is impossible to exclude this from the work. We already know all of that, and for those who don’t (of any culture) the educational element was there to inform, or whet the appetite to learn more. The theme of the exhibition was: ‘We have returned home. Do you not recognise us? Do you remember what we suffered? Welcome us and let us sit at your table. We have already paid enough’.
CY: Talking with a viewer at the exhibition, he made a remark that particularly interested me which was that, as opposed to our previous exhibition at arc (an exhibition of works by Nyemeike Onwuka – ‘Elegant Urban Decay’), “You can definitely tell that this artist is a woman”. I’m always intrigued as to what it is that prompts these kinds of assumptions as to the gender of the creator of a piece of art – be it visual art, poetry, prose etc. This has made me wonder, do you see you own work as inherently female, or inherently feminine, in any way, shape or form? What do you think might be the differences between your work in this exhibition and the work of a male artist working on the same themes?
CY: Talking with a viewer at the exhibition, he made a remark that particularly interested me which was that, as opposed to our previous exhibition at arc (an exhibition of works by Nyemeike Onwuka – ‘Elegant Urban Decay’), “You can definitely tell that this artist is a woman”. I’m always intrigued as to what it is that prompts these kinds of assumptions as to the gender of the creator of a piece of art – be it visual art, poetry, prose etc. This has made me wonder, do you see you own work as inherently female, or inherently feminine, in any way, shape or form? What do you think might be the differences between your work in this exhibition and the work of a male artist working on the same themes?
JJ: As I previously mentioned, emotions and feelings (which are traditionally gendered as feminine) played a great part in my production and guidance of this work. There were moments of meditation, which says something about having a strong spiritual link with my forebears – which, to my mind, is a natural African way to be. The need to tell the story in a historical, educational and visual way is my modus operandi in wanting to engage and bring awareness to the viewer as well as my self-expression. This includes the participator and all involved in supporting the work – beyond the exhibition itself. However, with regards to gender specificity in producing art: Yes, it is true that I am a naturally emotional artist – but this is combined with the educational aspect – much like a Griot would educate. But, come to think of it, Male artists can and often do show emotion in their work – or the thinking behind their work, so, overall, No, I don’t really believe that gender is much of an issue.
Another point to consider is that the genre of art making is also largely irrelevant in terms of physicality of media used. For instance, one might think that more ‘robust’ art, - sculpture, stone, wood, metalwork - might be more of a male domain. But no – Sokari Douglas Camp produces great and monumental pieces in her studio in steel (a medium traditionally dominated by men in West Africa, especially with Ogun being the God of metal and war in Nigerian “Yoruba” tradition). So too does Louis Bourgeoise (is she still alive?) and Josefina Alys Hermes de Vasconcellos, who died in 2005. Indeed, de Vasconcellos was a delicate lady of advancing years, thought to have been the oldest living, working sculptor. You see my point. Gender has no relevance.
CY: Your emphasising of architectural detail in the works in display in this exhibition is, I feel, particularly accomplished and, for me, your depictions of architectural structures seems to be related to something I am keenly interested in, which is the notion of architecture as a form of entrapment. For example, that actions such as the opening and shutting of doors and windows can be seen as enacting power struggles between those ‘inside’ and those ‘outside’. Where does this interest in architecture come from, and what do you see as being architecture’s function in your work?
JJ: Well Chris, three-dimensional elements tend to be something that I highlight instinctively, and at times I retrieve my steps to rework a certain area. Architectural details are an intrinsic part of the work as this is my passion and educational background. The subject of doors (as you saw in four of the paintings) has relevance to the transatlantic slave trade and the traditional African door/architecture. Hence these were used because of their strong and very pertinent symbolisms.
CY: I also notice that several of the works on display at the exhibition have written text incorporated into them. Though it is not my personal view, I wonder how you’d respond to the criticism that (visual) art should be textless? By that I mean that the very thing that distinguishes a painting from a written text is that a painting should express everything it needs to get across to the viewer using only visual codes. In other words, that a piece such as ‘Views from the Diaspora Guaranteed’ which quotes Psalm 132:13, is more of an illustrated text rather than a ‘painting’ per se.
JJ: I don’t believe in visual codes, as such. A piece of work speaks to a viewer and is dependent on the viewer’s standpoint and understanding/emotions. Each viewer has a different interpretation to a piece of work. This, I’m sure you agree, is as it should be. Some work is easier to decipher than others. A Rothko might reveal its secrets to one viewer and hide it from another. I spoke to several people about this work and some were puzzled by it, while others ‘read’ it by means of the annotation/label, or had been there, or simply had a deep, or even deeper, understanding than mine.
More importantly, my work is mixed media and, because of this, I see text, image, stitching, the canvas itself, colour, wood, metal and any element I believe to be pertinent as being part of a piece – without exception. If I think it is relevant to the piece, it applies, whether it is conventional or non-conventional. The kind of thinking you are referring to simply plays no part in my work. It might be that I do not feel impeded in any way, possibly because I am not a classically trained artist.
CY: What have you personally gained from the experience of producing the works for this exhibition? Has it been a particularly cathartic experience?
JJ: Yes, it certainly has been. As my first solo show and an exhibition that has been a while in coming, due to my other commitments, it has been, as you say, a cathartic experience for me, and a very all-consuming one at that. Furthermore, it has been more than an exhibition in terms of my personal gain – this production of work is an opportunity for me to ‘put down the load that I have carried’. In terms of work practice – it definitely was a learning experience as the entire body of work has been a process in terms of new ways of working, experimentation and output.
CY: What is next on the cards for Jean Joseph?
JJ: Some time to focus on commitments put on hold and looking at developing some further ideas. We will just have to wait and see.
CY: Jean, thank for your time and best of luck in your future endeavours.