In the studio with… Joy Labinjo

It seems as if Joy Labinjo doesn’t so much paint as carve with her brush: the Black figures she depicts on canvas often resemble sculptures hewn from rock. Known for her large-scale paintings, many of which are based on old photos from family albums, London-born Labinjo is of Nigerian heritage and has spent her career exploring the possibilities of Black figuration. Sculpture is one analogy; heat maps are another, the faces and bodies of her subjects often comprising discrete pools of colour in an immediately recognisable style. Her profile in the UK rose earlier this year, when her painting An 18th-century Family (2022) – an imaginary group portrait of the freed slave and abolitionist activist Olaudah Equiano with his family – was prominently displayed in the refurbished Fitzwilliam Museum galleries. Labinjo’s exhibition ‘We Are Briefly Gorgeous’, inspired by scenes the artist saw at Southwark Park and in the Bermondsey area, is at Southwark Park Galleries until 29 September.

Joy Labinjo. Photo: Jessica Flavin; courtesy Joy Labinjo and Tiwani Contemporary

Where is your studio?

In the Harringay Warehouse District, an artists’ community in north London. My studio is in Florentia Village, which looks like a Disney village: it’s multi-coloured, with various self-contained studios and courtyards in between them. People are always quite amazed when they come – they haven’t seen anything like it.

What’s the atmosphere like in your studio?

It’s quite peaceful. Florentia Village used to be a clothing factory in the 1980s and ’90s; now it’s home to different creative industries. It’s doubling in size at the moment, though, with new units being built, so it’ll be interesting to see what that does to the community. It’s a really weird, special kind of place.

I’ve been working there for three years now. I was previously in Brixton, in ASC Studios, above the Barnardo’s building. My current studio feels more private and a bit quieter, but in Brixton I felt more integrated with the local community. More visitors would come; it was right opposite Brixton tube station.

Installation view of ‘We Are Briefly Gorgeous’ at Southwark Park Galleries, London, 2024. Photo: Studio Damian Griffiths; courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary; © the artist

What do you like most about your studio?

Half of it has a glass roof, which brings in a lot of light. It’s the kind of studio I’ve always imagined having. I really like the layout, and the size is just perfect.

Does anything frustrate you about your studio?

The noise. One wall isn’t a solid wall, so I can hear everything from my studio neighbour’s area. I think they run some kind of YouTube sales channel. That is the only thing that would make me want to move; there’s nothing that can be done about it. The saving grace is that they’re not there all day.

Lord Have Mercy (2023), Joy Labinjo. Photo: Deniz Guzel; courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary; © the artist

Do you tend to listen to anything in the studio?

I used to be able to work in silence, but not so much now. I tend to always listen to something. That includes podcasts – I’m really into Scamfluencers and British Scandal – and audiobooks, and sometimes music. My go-to music is bashment, but if I can’t concentrate or need something to keep me grounded, it tends to be neo-soul. It depends on what I’m working on.

Do you have a studio routine?

I like to wake up around 6am, go to the gym, come home, get ready, and be at the studio for 8am, where I’ll have breakfast and read emails. I try to start work around 9am and leave by 7pm, broken up in the afternoon by a lunchtime walk or a Peloton ride. If I don’t have a show in less than three months’ time, I work 9 to 5; if a show is looming, it tends to be 9am–9pm.

Chosen Family (2024), Joy Labinjo. Photo: Deniz Guzel; courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary; © the artist

What is the most unusual object in your studio?

Probably my Peloton. I don’t tend to collect objects – everything in the studio is painting-related.

What is the most well-thumbed book in your studio?

My most cherished book in the studio is Claudia Rankine’s Just Us, but that has nothing to do with painting. My most well-thumbed books are by Kerry James Marshall. I like how he is able to paint anything he likes. Between bodies of work, or when I’m starting a new project, I tend to look at his work.

11am, Monday (2024), Joy Labinjo. Photo: Deniz Guzel; courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary; © the artist

Who is the most interesting visitor you’ve ever had?

Maybe a first date! It was during the pandemic, so it was the easiest place to be alone to have a date. That was quite nice. Other than that, it’s delivery drivers who ask if they can take a look around. I’m always quite anxious: they’re either very unimpressed, which is very humbling, or completely in awe. It’s always one of the two.

Wishful Thinking (2023), Joy Labinjo. Photo: Deniz Guzel; courtesy the artist and Tiwani Contemporary; © the artist

As told to Arjun Sajip.

‘We Are Briefly Gorgeous’ is at Southwark Park Galleries, London, until 29 September.