Joy Gerrard

Joy Gerrard was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1971. She graduated with a BA in Fine Art from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, and an MA and MPhil from the Royal College of Art, London.

Gerrard makes Japanese ink drawings and paintings that investigate the physical and psychological relationships between humans and buildings. She archives and painstakingly recreates images of political demonstrations from around the world. These mass marches, sourced from the media, include Trump Resistance, Occupy movement, Arab Risings, Black Lives Matter, Women’s March amongst many more.

Recent solo and group exhibitions include Royal Academy of Arts, London (2022); Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery, Norwich (2022); Ulster Museum, Belfast (2022); The Source Arts Centre, Thurles, Ireland (2022); Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, travelled to Butler Gallery, Kilkenny and Galway International Arts Festival, Ireland (2021/2022); Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast (2020); Glucksman Gallery, Cork (2020); Cristea Roberts Gallery, London (2019); Ormston House, Stockholm (2019); Wexford Arts Centre (2018); Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin (2017); Drawing Room, London (2017); MAC International, Belfast (2016); Hayward Gallery Touring show (2016); and Peer UK, London (2015).

She has installed numerous commissions including major works for Facebook and Tideway in London (2017/18); Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (2012); and the London School of Economics (2009). Her work is held in many private and public collections including the Arts Council of Ireland; the Crawford Gallery, Cork; the Glucksman Gallery, University College Cork, Cork; Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol; The Museum of Central Finland, Jyvaskyla, Finland; Il Bisonte International Centre of Graphic Art, Florence, Italy.

Gerrard was the Centre Culturel Irlandais artist in residence in Paris in 2020, and is a 2023 Golden Foundation Artist in Residence, New York.

Joy Gerrard lives and works in Belfast, Northern Ireland.