Interview: Chantal Joffe
THE WICK:
What does a typical Monday look like for you?
Chantal Joffe: I walk to my studio, preferably along the canal, I arrive and change into my painting clothes and shoes and make a strong cup of tea, then after that often I mess around for a while before settling to work: look at books, emails, prime panels…then I’ll settle down to paint or draw with a CD playing, usually on a loop, I’ll paint with breaks to wash my brushes or eat lunch and then walk home.
TW: You are celebrated for your portraits of women, including your own mother and daughter. How have your experiences of motherhood shaped your vision as a painter?
CJ: Becoming a mother changed me a lot, and it took me a long time to realise what a different world I was now living in. Raising my daughter and being her mother is the thing in my life of which I am most proud – the person she has become and the relationship we have. I think the work I make is a reaction to that, and an attempt to describe the life we have and the world we occupy, often painting is a form of autobiography for me.
TW: Your upcoming exhibition at Skarstedt Paris, The Dog’s Birthday, is your first solo exhibition in Paris since 2001. Why Paris, why now?
CJ: I’m excited to show in Paris -I have loved the work of Vuillard my whole life and I see this work as a reaction to that or at least an attempt to have a conversation with his work.
TW: You studied at Camberwell College of Art, Glasgow School of Art, and later Royal College of Art. Why do you believe access to arts and culture is important and what is one change you would like to see in this government?
CJ: When I was at Camberwell the National Gallery was where I changed buses on my way to get there, and I could wander in free of charge and look for as long as I wanted. The one change I would make is to make all exhibitions free for students and keep all museums and galleries free for everyone,now to see a special exhibit at a museum it can cost as much as 28 pounds,I would make it free for people under 25 -art is life-changing for everyone.
“The one change I would make is to make all exhibitions free for students and keep all museums and galleries free for everyone.”
