British artist James Joyce is known for his vivid color, bold iconography and subverting recognizable symbolism. Working in a variety of media including; painting, installation, drawing and screen printing, Joyce references contemporary culture at its purest.
Born in Wolverhampton, England, Joyce studied at Walsall College of Art and Kingston University before relocating to London where he currently lives and works. In 2015, Joyce exhibited a video installation at Banksy’s Dismaland exhibition in Weston-Super-Mare alongside other international artists including Damien Hirst and Jenny Holzer. Joyce exhibited a large video installation of a rotating and collapsing smiley face titled Perseverance in the Face of Absurdity that became the signature image for the exhibition.
His near perfect hand painted imagery pokes fun at cultural behemoths, like the classic yellow smiley face and social media verbiage, and have become staples for collectors across Europe and now within the US.
Joyce explains “the word ‘Like’ in isolation struck me initially because of its elevated status within social media platforms. It’s such an overused word now it’s almost lost its meaning or at least its sincerity. I began to play with the letterforms and then conceptually made the association with Robert Indiana somewhere in the process. ‘Like’ could be considered a defining word of today’s internet generation in a similar way to ‘love’ in the 60s. But I wasn’t interested in directly appropriating Indiana’s work; I wanted to create something new that would stand on its own, a new icon or ‘logo’, as you put it.” – James Joyce
Guy Hepner is pleased to announce an exclusive print release with James launching October 17th via our online shop. This limited series will also offer an AP Glitter version for collectors. Please contact the gallery via phone or email for early access details, as well as other available paintings and prints by James Joyce.
An Interview with James Joyce 
Introducing James Joyce 