This year’s Young Artist Commission at London’s NOW Gallery goes to Joy Yamusangie. With their exhibition Feeling Good, the artist transforms the installation space into a fictional jazz club filled with a series of paintings on paper and fabric inspired by the fleeting interactions that could happen inside such a club.

“One of the things I wanted to do as a child was to be able to play the saxophone. I started learning last year and my teacher gave me some old songs to learn, which then got me watching all these great jazz stars on YouTube and thinking about how amazing it would have been to see them perform,” Yamusangie explains. “I was also looking into the true story of Billy Tipton, the trans jazz saxophonist and pianist. And I still kept imagining this club and thinking about whether I’d want to be an artist forever or if a career change would bring me this fulfillment I’ve been looking for. So, for this show I’m merging the dream of an artist and the dream of having a jazz club.”

The artist’s work is in many ways autobiographical; dealing specifically with understanding and celebrating their trans identity, their Congolese heritage and, in this exhibition’s case, their musical journey. However, there’s also a fictional and fantastical element to their visual storytelling. ”One of my earlier series of works, Blue Glass Fortunes (2020), was all about dreams, reminiscing and hope,” they say. “And for this new work, it started from reading stories and then letting my own experiences and my imagination create the rest. Though the Feeling Good club doesn’t actually exist, there will be music and people will be able to come and visit and their presence and experience will make it a real space.”

This rising star’s other recent projects include a public art installation commissioned by Tate Collective and creating the cover for the 2021 Penguin edition of C. L. R. James' Minty Alley plus winning the London Borough of Culture award and collaborating with brands including Paul Smith and Gucci. But their most memorable moment to date was making the film Wata with friend and photographer Ronan Mckenzie. “I loved the process, all of the moodboards, conversations and everything that you don’t see behind the scenes. It reminded me of what I like about being an artist in London - connecting with people who do things completely differently to you. I feel inspired here and motivated to keep making and having fun.”

As a young artist, Yamusangie is not hindered by the restraints of a single form of expression, nor can you predict what the next work may look like, having already explored paper, collage, ceramic and film. Whatever the chosen materiality however, their recognisable illustrative style is discerned through their signature blend of bold, flat colours and line-drawn figures that exist in liminal spaces. “Most of the time, I draw thumbnail sized sketches of the image and try to imagine what that would look like in different mediums. Or I might work backwards and choose a medium that I’ve been curious to learn or revisit and then I sketch out ideas with that in mind. Sometimes it works and sometimes it definitely does not, but it’s the journey of finding out what I enjoy most about being an artist.”

Young Artist Commission 2022, Feeling Good by Joy Yamusangie, on view 24 March to 5 June 2022 at NOW Gallery, Greenwich Peninsular, London

Words Xanthe Somers

Visit Joy Yamusangie
Visit NOW Gallery

Published on 22/03/2022