Joanne Masding
I make work to think about relationships to objects: ideas of worth, ownership and production, and how they are absorbed by bodies and through technological interfaces. My recent practice is a collection of artifacts and characters I use to think about what objects are and how we know them. I want to know things with my body rather than know about things in my head.
In 2024 I launched my first novel; a book as artwork. Body of Pieces is published by Bobo Books, edited by Jess Chandler and distributed by Antenne Books. It was announced with a debut performance made for TACO!, Thamesmead in March 2024.
Recent exhibitions include: Tree and Leaf, Division of Labour, Salford (2023), Copy Out a New Shoot, Modern Painters New Decorators, Loughborough (2022) (solo); My Kid Could've Done That, Holborne Museum, Bath (2021); In the Peaceful Dome, Bluecoat, Liverpool (2017-18); Touche Eclat, Workplace, Gateshead (2017); Plaster Ghost Finger Cast, The New Art Gallery, Walsall (2017) (solo); image music text, IMT Gallery, London (2016); stuffs wander off, a shape steps in, Two Queens, Leicester (2016) (solo). I have undertaken residencies with organisations including: 501 Artspace, Chongqing, China, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios, Dublin, Ireland, Research and Cultural Collections at University of Birmingham, Leicestershire Museums Collections. Permanent commission Flimsy Signals, made for developers Bruntwood, launched in summer 2018, and 'Make Future Village History', a public artwork for a new housing development in Cardiff, with Persimmon Homes and Studio Response launched in 2021. I was awarded a fellowship with John Feeney Charitable Trust in 2016-17 and in 2020 I received by nomination an Artist Award from Henry Moore Foundation.
I initiated and run Studio Outlet, which sells things made by artists.
I am co-director of Modern Clay, a co-operative ceramics studio in Birmingham, where I make work, undertake ceramics research and production for artists, and use the therapeutic benefits of working with clay in partnership with local charities supporting vulnerable groups.
Solo exhibitions and projects
| 2024 | Body of Pieces live readings: performance to mark the launch, TACO!, Thamesmead Body of Pieces, debut novel as artwork published by Bobo Books |
| 2022 | Copy Out a New Shoot, Modern Painters New Decorators, Loughborough |
| 2021 | Being mobile and multi-limbed, Arts Council England funded studio development project Archive Fever, residency with Leicestershire Museums Trust |
| 2019 | Make Future Village History, public art commission, Persimmon Homes and Studio Response, Cardiff |
| 2018 | Flimsy Signals, permanent commission, Cornerblock, Birmingham |
| 2017 | Plaster Ghost Finger Cast, The New Art Gallery Walsall |
| 2016 | Artist in residence, University of Birmingham, Birmingham stuffs wander off, a shape steps in, Two Queens, Leicester |
| 2015 | Shiny Surface Amnesty, Air Space Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent (residency and exhibition) Feature gif, Digital Artist Residency (online artist residency) |
| 2014 | Echo, South Wales Echo for Cardiff Contemporary (curated by Sean Edwards) Symbol for a Light, Longbridge Light Festival, Longbridge (commission for LED video screen. Curated by General Public) |
| 2013 | Lacquer Moving Lightly, Embassy Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland Joanne Masding, 501 Artspace, Chongqing, China (residency and exhibition) The Heterotic I, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, Dublin, Ireland (residency) Standpoint Futures, Standpoint, London (residency) |
Selected group exhibitions and projects
| 2023 | Tree and Leaf, Division of Labour, Salford |
| 2021 | My Kid Could've Done That, Holborne Museum, Bath (An exhibition of newly commissioned work by 18 international artists made in collaboration with their young children, curated by Will Cooper) |
| 2017 | In the Peaceful Dome, Bluecoat, Liverpool Touche, Éclat, Workplace, Gateshead (Nina Chua, Daniel Davies, Joanne Masding, Yonatan Vinitsky) Like the green fig tree, Workplace, Gateshead (Matt Antoniak, Hazel Brill, James Hindle, Harry Hurlock, Joanne Masding, Joe Shaw) |
| 2016 | Image Music Text, IMT, London (Andrew Gillespie, Andrew Lacon, Joanne Masding. Curated by Division of Labour) After, Division of Labour, London |
| 2015 | The Place of The Scene, Bloc Projects, Sheffield (Rowena Harris, Fay Nicolson, Joanne Masding, Francesco Pedraglio) Birmingham Show, Eastside Projects, Birmingham (curated by Gavin Wade and Ruth Claxton) |
| 2013 | Objectness, Outpost, Norwich (curated by Peles Empire) At a Distance, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Birmingham Congratulations you are the most recent visitor, Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge (curated by Outpost) Warm Breeze Over Rock, The Royal Standard, Liverpool (Joanne Masding, Flore Nove-Josserand) |
| 2012 | The Possibility of an Island, Grand Union, Birmingham (curated by Tim Dixon) Rotate: Eastside Projects and Grand Union, The Contemporary Art Society, London (curated by Ruth Claxton and Cheryl Jones) |
| 2011 | Curfew Tower, Cushendall, Northern Ireland (residency) |
| 2010 | Gene-George Earl, Joanne Masding, Ultra High Temperature, Eastside Projects, Birmingham (curated by Gavin Wade) |
Awards and grants
| 2024 | STEAMhouse, forward programme |
| 2022 | Arts Council England, developing your creative practice grant |
| 2020 | Arts Council England, project grant for individuals |
| 2018 | STEAMhouse, production grant |
| 2016 | John Feeney Charitable Trust, Feeney Fellow 2016-17 A-N the artist’s newsletter, professional development bursary |
| 2013 | Arts Council England, individual grants for the arts A-N the artist’s newsletter, Venice Biennale research bursary |
Selected other activities
| 2021 | Mothers*, Warriors and Poets, Stuttgart, Germany (Discussing working context for artist parents as part of the exhibition public programme) How Not to Exclude Artist Parents: Some Guidelines for Institutions and Residencies (part of the working group that formed these guidelines written by Hettie Judah) |
| 2020 | Research interview with Hettie Judah to inform her essay Full, Messy and Beautiful, published alongside the annual Freelands Foundation report on the representation of female artists in the UK, put together by artist and academic Kate McMillan |
| 2018 | Kunst Vardo, Oslo, Norway (collaborative research residency) |
| 2017 | Traverse, Aarhus, Denmark and New Art West Midlands (research project with Mette Boel) |
| 2016 | ESP Programmer, Eastside Projects, Birmingham (programmer of associate artist development programme) School of the Damned, class of 2017 (self-led alternative education model) RE:Present, cultural leadership programme |
| 2015 | Katharina Ludwig in residence at Grand Union, Birmingham (curated project, with Grand Union) Guest editor, Press Room, Venice Biennale |
| 2014 | Testing Ground Masterclass, Zabludowicz Collection, London |
| 2013 | The Lombard Method 2013-14 programme (curated project with Adam Smythe) Object as Process #1, Parasol Unit, London (screening and in conversation with Harry Burke) |
| 2009 | Founder, co-director and co-curator, The Lombard Method, Birmingham |
Bibliography
| 2021 | Full, Messy and Beautiful, written by Hettie Judah and published alongside the annual Freelands Foundation report on the representation of female artists in the UK by Kate McMillan |
| 2018 | Recent Activity Annual, published by Bobo |
| 2017 | Art Monthly, June 2016, Issue 407, Plaster Ghost Finger Cast in Midlands roundup |
| 2015 | The Guardian, The Place of the Scene in This week’s new exhibitions a-n, The Place of the Scene in The Week’s Top Exhibitions Birmingham Mail, 21 Leading Young Artists Curating the Contemporary, Tom Milnes speaks to Jason Brogan and Joanne Masding The Bad Vibes Club, Joanne Masding on gifs |
| 2013 | Corridor 8, Review of The Manchester Contemporary Art Fair Buy Art Fair, video of The Manchester Contemporary Art Fair |
Collections
| Various private collections Artist postcard collection, British Museum acquisition Twenty Twenty collection, The New Art Gallery Walsall |
Education
| 2017 | School of The Damned (self-led alternative postgraduate education) |
| 2007 | Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester |
