Joseph was born in Paris on December 8, 1974.

 

EDUCATION/ TRAINING

1998-2000

Interior Architect, the Ecole Boulle, Paris

1994-1998

Furniture sculpture, the Saint-Luc Institute, Tournai

1995-1996

School of Fine Arts, Tournai

 

A pure product of pop culture, Joseph’s work is both a playful celebration of its superficial progenitor and a poignant commentary on the era of consumerism.

 

These richly embroidered pictures bear a retro look and are inspired by comic strips, advertising – even bottle caps – as the artist celebrates the triumph of the pop universe in all its forms.

 

The glossy finish on his work is reminiscent of the enameled advert signs that characterize the first half of the 20th century: a finish that corresponds perfectly to this bigger-than-life, ideal universe.

 

While we look at the impossibly beautiful women, the ever-smiling faces, we perceive a dark reflection of ourselves in that surface, smooth and implacable like the characters it shows, a pale imitation of an imitation: life imitating art imitating life.

If consumer society inspires Joseph graphically, then we occasionally find this influence in the form of his pictures: each piece is composed of several panels attached in such a way that they can be moved around, taken apart and even added onto according to one’s mood.

Joseph pushes pop art to its logical conclusion: an art form where the consumer takes his place alongside the artist in the creative process.

Tristan Stansbury Worthington