We are pleased to announce our representation of London-based artist Chantal Joffe in Asia. New work by Joffe will be on view as part of our presentation at KIAF Art Seoul (October 13–17), and will be the subject of a solo presentation at the gallery’s forthcoming pop-up in Beijing (opening October 23). Previously, Joffe had a solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin Seoul (November 12, 2020–January 29, 2021). The artist will continue to be represented by her long-time gallery Victoria Miro.
Chantal Joffe brings a combination of insight and integrity, as well as psychological and emotional force, to the genre of figurative art. Hers is a deceptively casual brushstroke. Whether in images a few inches square or ten feet high, fluidity combined with a pragmatic approach to representation seduces and disarms. Almost always depicting women or girls, sometimes in groups but recently in iconic portraits, Joffe’s paintings only waveringly adhere to their source—be it a photograph, magazine page or even a reflection in the mirror—instead reminding us that distortions of scale and form can often make a subject seem more real.
Rachel Lehmann says, “After debuting her work in Seoul last year, we are delighted to officially welcome Chantal Joffe to the program. Chantal has positioned herself as one of the leading painters of her generation, and I believe that her deeply poetical work, which tells a story about motherhood, feminism, and intimacy, will continue to resonate with Asian audiences for many years to come. Like others in our program who are inspired by autobiographical experiences, such as Billy Childish, Billie Zangewa, and Hernan Bas, Joffe’s inspiration shines through in the raw, vulnerable, and honest nature of each painting.”
“As a painter in the figurative tradition, Chantal Joffe has made a significant contribution to the evolution of contemporary portraiture,” said Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London. “Her distinctive style is both gestural and considered, exploring themes of friendship, motherhood and the nature of female representation while expressing intimate human connections permeated with personality, honesty, humour and emotion.”
About the artist
Born in 1969, Chantal Joffe lives and works in London. She holds an MA from the Royal College of Art and was awarded the Royal Academy Wollaston Prize in 2006. Her recent solo exhibition titled Personal Feeling is the Main Thing at The Lowry, Salford (2018) presented works from across Joffe’s career addressing themes of portraiture, motherhood, passing time and art's relationship to history. Joffe has exhibited nationally and internationally with venues including Whitechapel Gallery, London [2018]; Royal Academy of Arts, London [2018, 2017]; National Museum of Iceland, Reykjavík (2016); National Portrait Gallery, London (2015); Jewish Museum, New York (2015); Jerwood Gallery, Hastings (2015); Collezione Maramotti, Reggio Emilia, Italy (2014 – 2015); Saatchi Gallery, London (2013 – 2014); MODEM, Hungary (2012); Mackintosh Museum, Glasgow (2012); Turner Contemporary, Margate (2011); Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York (2009); University of the Arts, London (2007); MIMA Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (2007); Galleri KB, Oslo (2005) and Bloomberg Space, London (2004).
Learn more in the Financial Times and ARTnews.
Above: Artist portrait by Eva Herzog