Joseph Winsborrow

Joseph Winsborrow (b. 1994, Devon) is an artist, writer, and curator interested in a speculation on the history of magical and folkloric practice within the UK and Ireland. Winsborrow’s work brings to light fragments of forgotten identities within British culture, especially those of rural regions at risk of being washed away under gentrification and patriotism. Having spent his early life surrounded by the mysterious beauty of the Devonshire landscape, Winsborrow became fascinated with stories of magic and transformation early on, while growing obsessed with the lingering sense of history of those before us found across the countryside.

Feeding this obsession, they continuously seek to uncover more of these murky histories through rigorous research of the varied and interconnected histories found across Britain and Ireland. Utilising this research, Winsborrow creates a speculative history of how the people inhabiting the landscape before us might have engaged with their environment. Much like in alchemy, they mix a variety of elements to create something familiar, yet entirely new. Combining components of folklore, astrology, chaos magic, colour psychology, ancient languages, tarot, petroglyphs, and archaeology, he creates a visual language that speaks to the contrasting nature of our histories; something that feels ancient yet also futuristic, organic yet also alien, human but also supernatural.