Joe Warrior-Walker
b. St. Ives, Cornwall; lives and works in Bristol, UK
Warrior-Walker's paintings are playful yet poignant studies of the cultural impact of contrasting environments, each layering experiences and observations upon one another to communicate a sense of space. The psychogeographically-inspired works reference the real world he encounters and reimagine the locations that shaped his childhood, while never directly depicting any one place. They investigate how images, and more specifically the memory of those images, function when removed from their original context. By altering the images’ intrinsic purpose or meaning and incorporating the push and pull of abstraction as a core element, Warrior-Walker’s paintings are familiar yet unidentifiable scenes in which the viewer can experience a personal journey.
Painting on canvas and paper, the artist uses oil paints and various materials including dry pigments to cultivate unexpected interactions, achieved through complex layering, textures, intricate line work, and intuitive color theory. Distinct layers remain visible throughout the process as he plays with transparency, opacity, and washes. Each painting emerges slowly, resulting from this spontaneous and intuitive application (and excavation) of various media, allowing the artist to sift through ideas and memories to find compelling compositions and create a sense of place in each work.
As much as the work is about environment and personal experience, it is also about the archeology of painting. Painting is at the forefront of his practice, fundamentally grounded in drawing and observing the natural world around him. As a nod to the artists of the St Ives School, with their shared interest in abstraction and love of West Cornwall’s shapes, forms, and colors, Warrior-Walker sources imagery from the landscape around him and incorporates the painterly colloquialisms that developed out of the School. The result is abstract paintings rife with both internal depth and outward perspective, representative of the artist’s journeys through past and present, inviting the viewer to adopt new approaches to making sense of and remembering the world.
Joe Warrior-Walker completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at The Chelsea School of Art, during which he was awarded The Brenda Landon Portrait Prize, later winning a scholarship to complete his Masters Degree in Creative Entrepreneurship at UEA London. The artist has exhibited internationally in solo and group shows in cities such as Paris, London, Milan, Los Angeles, and Miami. Recent notable solo exhibitions include Coates & Scarry in Bristol and Septieme Gallery in both their Cotonou and Paris locations, and notable group exhibitions include Gurr Johns in London (curated by Lewis Dalton Gilbert), Marlborough Gallery in London, Durden & Ray Gallery in Los Angeles, Breach Gallery in Miami, and Hastings Contemporary.
Warrior-Walker’s first solo exhibition with Massey Klein Gallery, forthcoming in October 2025, will be his first time exhibiting in New York City. The artist has been interviewed for Traction Magazine and Drake’s and has work publicly installed as part of the permanent collection of Watt Plaza in Los Angeles. The artist lives and works in Bristol, UK.
