Joseph Goody  

Joseph Goody’s imagery is historically inspired by – in his words – ‘literature, castle walls, parapets and ideas of organisation’. Meticulously composed, his abstract paintings and works on paper have explored geometric forms and layering with a softness that creates a sense of tension.

Joseph’s most recent paintings have become more complex, inviting the viewer to engage with clearly-defined forms, alongside those that are suggested or obscured. The lines, shapes and colours in these works are simultaneously moving and static, reinforcing and undermining each other in compositions that oscillate between balance and collapse. Just as the words of a poem shift their meaning through internal proximity and context, Goody’s painted forms evolve through the rhythmic relationships within each composition. It is this similarity to the written word and the inherent inability of a painting to tell a definitive truth, that has driven his most recent works.

Goody graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2011 and won the Neville Burston Award for Painting. He continued his studies at the Royal Drawing School where he won The Patrons Club Prize in 2012. Cob Gallery, London have exhibited his paintings regularly, and Sid Motion Gallery, London, presented a solo exhibition of paintings in 2020. Oliver Projects has shown Joseph’s works on several occasions including at the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair (2021 and 2023) and, most recently, in ‘Shaping Time’, a collaborative exhibition with Sims Reed Gallery, London (September 2024). Joseph also had three large paintings included in a group exhibition at Marlborough Gallery, London, in 2023. He lives and works in south east London.

We recently presented new work by Joseph in Shaping Time at Sims Reed Gallery, 11 - 27th September 2024. Explore available works.