MASTERPIECES FROM THE BEN URI COLLECTION
THE HAND MADE MAP OF THE WORLD 2013
TAM JOSEPH (1947- )
Acrylic on board
TAM JOSEPH
Tam Joseph’s Map of the World is a visually arresting and politically resonant reimagining of the traditional world map, executed in bold colour and deceptively playful design With its seemingly benign aesthetic a vibrant palette and childlike clarity Joseph subverts conventional cartography to critique the geopolitics of
Joseph’s The Hand Made Map of the World exemplifies the artist's critical engagement with identity, representation, and the politics of cartography Born in Dominica and migrating to Britain during childhood, Joseph's diasporic background profoundly informs his practice, interrogating historical narratives and prevailing cultural assumptions. In this vibrant and carefully executed painting, Joseph deliberately subverts conventional mapmaking, presenting an apparently familiar world map whose countries and continents have been meticulously labelled yet intentionally displaced, resized, and repositioned The map undermines Eurocentric projections that traditionally enlarge and centralise Europe and North America, instead emphasizing overlooked regions and disrupting entrenched geopolitical hierarchies Executed with striking clarity and bold colours, this work reveals Joseph’s training in graphic design and typography, disciplines he studied formally and professionally applied Beyond its aesthetic impact, the artwork serves as incisive commentary on colonial legacies and global inequities perpetuated through visual representation. Joseph’s artistic approach here aligns with his broader oeuvre, which consistently challenges racial stereotypes and historical omissions, highlighting marginalised narratives and confronting systemic inequalities The Hand Made Map of the World thus not only reimagines geographical relationships but invites viewers to reconsider their own cultural assumptions, echoing Joseph’s enduring commitment to exploring power structures within visual culture
Tam Joseph was born in Roseau on the Caribbean island of Dominica and immigrated to England in 1955 at the age of eight. He studied at the Central School of Art and Design and then at the Slade School of Fine Art, afterwards working on Yellow Submarine' the animated film featuring The Beatles. During the
1960s-70s, he travelled in Europe and the Far East, then studied typography at the London College of Printing He worked for the magazine 'Africa Journal' in the late 1970s and early 1980s, also travelling extensively in Africa In 1979 he illustrated the children's book 'Titch the Cat' by Buchi Emecheta. His works include 'UK School Report' (1980), depicting the passage of a Black youth through the British education system in three portraits captioned: 'Good at sports', ''Likes music' and 'Needs surveillance', and 'Spirit of the Carnival' (1982), referencing the uneasy relationship that existed between Black communities and the police in Britain during the early 1980s, particularly at the annual Notting Hill Carnival, which was purchased for Wolverhampton Art Gallery in 2016 with the assistance of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant Tam Joseph has exhibited extensively in group shows in the UK, including 'No Colour Bar: Black British Art in Action 1960–1990' (Guildhall Art Gallery, 2015), and 'Life Between Islands Caribbean-British Art 1950s – Now' (Tate, 2021-22), as well as in France, the USA and Senegal. His work is held in UK public collections including the Arts Council Collection, the Ben Uri Collection, Bradford Museums & Galleries, Glasgow Museum Resource Centre, Museums Sheffield, Tate, and Wolverhampton Art Gallery. In September 2023 Joseph featured in the BBC Radio 4 programme 'The Reunion', exploring the foundation of the BLK Art Group Tam Joseph: I Know What I See', an extensive survey of his work covering paintings and sculpture from over 40 years, with an introduction by Eddie Chambers, was published in 2023 Tam Joseph lives and works in London
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
COLLECTION: https://benuri.org/collections/ BURU: https://www.buru.org.uk/
