Josh Kidd is a painter, filmmaker and writer. He was born in South-East London and is of mixed Caribbean and British descent. Kidd has been drawing and writing ever since he could pick up a pen, but it wasn’t until he moved to NYC to study acting that he started his journey as an artist. Josh had his first exhibition in 2019 for the Grenfell Tower anniversary. Since then, he has been successful in selling many of his paintings. His most popular work is the abstract expressions that he makes. In this work, Kidd attempts to express the multitude of different people’s facial expressions with acrylic paint on paper. As Josh prepares to participate in this year’s Caribbean Fine Art Fair, we had the pleasure of speaking to him about his work.
Thank you for agreeing to catch up with Occhi Magazine. For readers unfamiliar with you and your background, what drew you to a career in the arts?
From a young age, I was always drawing in my school books and getting into trouble. As I grew older and embarked on a handful of odd jobs; from being a builder to being a bartender, I always knew that my creativity was where I was destined to explore. So, I saved up some money from working behind a bar and used it to move to NYC to study acting. From there, my creative box was opened, studying acting freed me and brought me back to that child who was always drawing in his school books. Although I am no longer an actor, the pursuit was not wasted. Acting led me into film-making and photography. Painting was different for me though, I was always hesitant to pick up a paintbrush, I did not have any formal training as a painter so I would always doubt my talent. It took the tragedy of losing my sister for me to pick up the paintbrush and use the canvas to express what I was going through, since then I have never looked back. I also learned never to be limited in any medium of art that I choose to explore.
Who were your early influences and how did they impact your career?
I made a drawing once, a kind of portrait of myself lying in a bed surrounded by spirits and demons. An elder artist named Benje LaRico who was a friend of one of my old acting teachers saw it. He encouraged me to continue exploring my talent and pointed me in the right direction of museums and artists that revolutionized the scenes. When I began exploring other artists’ works, I was always very drawn to the works of Oswald Watson, Pablo Picasso, Jacob Lawrence, Vincent Van Gough, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Frida Kahlo.
Which three traits define you as an artist?
Creative, loyal & courageous
Please tell us more about your featured work in this year’s CaFA event. Please share your inspiration for each piece
Given the subject matter of this year’s CaFa exhibition, I decided to present four of my black & white photographs. The pieces that I will be showing are titled Giant’s, 7, White Swan and Electricity. Each work tells a different story and will be presented alongside one of my poems. Giants is a photo taken at Stone Hedge, the ancient spiritual stones stand tall in the midst of the open plains revealing the importance of preserving what came before us. 7 is a photograph of seven birds flying towards the New York City skyline, it depicts the coming together of nature and the man-made world. White Swan shows a swan drifting peacefully on a lake reminding us that we are not the only living life on this planet. Electricity is a piece taken beneath an electrical tower, asking the question of how man-made societies are impacting our environment.
Please tell us more about your approach to producing work and choice of medium. Do you apply a particular methodology and process when creating new pieces.
I live artistically and allow myself to be a vessel of creativity. When I am making films, I seek the stories that I need to tell. When I am writing, I let JAH guide my hand. When I take photographs, I search for the poem in the picture. When I am making a painting, I find the image through the process of inner and outer reasoning.
What other projects are in the pipeline?
I am currently showing a painting called SEEKING JAH at the National Gallery of Jamaica in an exhibition called THE FACE OF US. I will be exhibiting some paintings at a Gallery called Home to Harlem in NYC in April. I am just about to put out a music video for a Jamaican Artist. I will be shooting a short film in London in the summer and I am in the process of putting together a workshop where I will teach filmmaking to students in Jamaica.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
https://www.thetreehouse.earth/
The CaFA Fair Barbados returns to Bagnall’s Point Gallery, Pelican Village Craft Center, Bridgetown, Barbados from March 6 – 10, 2024, featuring 45 artists and galleries representing 16 Caribbean nations, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, UK, and the USA. For further information, please visit the official website.
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