Joseph Gilgun

He is also well known for his BAFTA nominated role as ‘Woody’ in Shane Meadow's THIS IS ENGLAND, as Rudy Wade in E4’s MISFITS and Cassidy in the AMC / Amazon series PREACHER from Seth Rogan, Evan Goldberg and Sam Catlin. For film, he shot Matthew Warchus’ critically acclaimed PRIDE alongside Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton, which opened to excellent reviews; THE INFILTRATOR alongside Bryan Cranston and THE LAST WITCH HUNTER with Vin Diesel.

Growing up in north Lancashire, among the towns that time forgot, Joe did not have a stereotypical journey into the world of art. A short foray onto a fashion course strengthened his artistic instincts as a young man, but the distraction of a career in acting took Joe away from this route for many years, until eventually the stresses of said career pushed him back in. Success in the entertainment industry afforded the privilege of free time. Free time allowed introspection, which led to painting as a method of therapy and self-care. This evolved into a hobby and eventually became an obsession, or is it an addiction?

Joe is a self-taught artist. Working from his home studio in Manchester, he explores themes of identity, emotion, society, and the human experience. Drawing from his own personal history and mental health, as well as the shared experiences of the voiceless and invisible living on the streets, Joe continues to discover a haunting beauty in the darkest aspects of the human psyche. With a mixture of street, abstract and fine art influences, most of his work is created using a blend of acrylic, spray paint and charcoal. However, he doesn’t limit himself, sometimes it’s a case of using whatever’s at hand; a splash of tea, a mouthful of spit, on occasion he doesn’t even use a canvas. Art works have been painted on bed sheets due to the times he’s been too anxious to leave the house. Broken gates salvaged from wastelands next to filming locations have also found their way into the collection.

Joe has made a conscious effort to find his own method and style through the trial and error of painting. Trying to find his voice before he starts looking, almost out of spite. Though he enjoys the history of art, classic and contemporary, he has far more interest in understanding his own voice before muddying the waters with everything that’s gone before.

There are, however, influences that can’t be avoided. George Condo’s work fascinates him, he paints ‘ordinary people’, though Joe doesn’t believe anyone’s ordinary. He appreciates how Condo captures the chaos of it all. Francesco Goya: Joe is intrigued by ‘The Black Paintings’. Goya resented society, he kept this series in his house and thought no one would ever see. Similar to Joe’s work, he felt almost embarrassed about the art. It was only ever supposed to stay in the safety of his home. Sir Francis Bacon: with a fear of appearing arrogant, Joe doesn’t consider himself to be a fan of Bacon’s work. Though there are similarities in the themes of despair and the lack of romance about the world. Plus, he was terrified of his dad, much like Joe. Despite being the least favourite of his influences, he’s the artist Joe’s talks about most often, which bothers him. George Rowlett: Joe’s a big admirer of the impasto style and the amount of work that goes into completing each piece. Though not a huge fan of landscapes, watching George paint is enough to sway anyone. His self-portraits are mind blowing.

Joe doesn’t fit any specific artistic mould or adhere to society’s expectations. He paints on instinct and lets others decide the deeper meaning behind his work. Through this process, the art provides a truthful glimpse into soul of Joe Gilgun. More honest than any social media post or interview could ever manage.

Given the opportunity to comment on his process, Joe provided this quote:

‘I don’t know what I’m doing’.