Fresh Talent

Joshua Donkor took part in The Interlude Bursary and Mentoring Programme, organised by Visual Arts Group Wales (VAGW)*. A recent graduate of Cardiff Metropolitan University, he has been featured on The Next Big Thing, Sky Portrait Artist of the Year, and Staged starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant. He has won awards from the (AOI) Association of Illustrators.

Joshua’s work explores ideas of race, identity, ancestry and transcultural experience. He aims to “capture individual’s stories and experiences openly and honestly.” His work explores both the struggles and advantages of African Ancestry, breaking away from oversimplified and prejudicial stereotypes that exist around “black identity”.

In 2020 we began working with Jasmine Violet as one of our Associate Artists. Jasmine is a recent graduate of Carmarthen School of Art.

Jasmine works with mixed media exploring her identity as a black woman within both British and Welsh contexts. She reflects on mental health, the subconciousand distorted reality. “I often work with Polaroid photography, cyanotypes, printmaking, drawing and painting.” Her work is held in the National Library of Wales’ Contemporary Art Collection and she has exhibited at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Fen Ditton Gallery, MOMA Machynlleth and Llantarnam Grange.

*Supported by the Cultural Recovery Fund from the Arts Council of Wales. This was a sustained series of conversations and online studio visits led by Sadia Pineda Hameed that took place between March and May 2021.