Joe BLACK

BIOGRAPHY

Born in 1973, Joe Black studied as a sculptor before moving on to illustration and working for many years as a successful commercial artist, before becoming a full-time fine artist. Now focused solely on his personal body of art, Joe Black does not refer to himself as an artist but more as an “image- maker.”

According to the artist himself, he will use pretty much anything small enough to build his large images and creating vast tonal effects. In addition to these contrasting tones, Joe seeks to further enhance his pieces by selecting an object that will pay tribute to the iconic imagery it creates. This is perhaps best illustrated by his use of plastic toy soldiers in his depiction of Robert Capa’s iconic boy soldier piece “Made in China” (2011).

Since committing himself to the world of full-time fine art, Joe has stormed the art world, stunning it with his powerful mix of image selection and craftsmanship. He is at the vanguard of the current Pop Art movement and in the great traditions of craftsman before him; he is rigorous in his commitment to produce excellence. He demonstrates a level of skill that often falls outside the viewers’ understanding of what is possible.

A Joe Black work is generally best viewed from a 50-meter distance.

TECHNIQUE

Black combines his natural craft skills with a love of materials - many of which are recognizable everyday objects - to create portraits and abstract works. Each piece is painstakingly created using thousand upon thousand of ball bearings, plastic pins, badges or Lego Bricks.Using a laborious technique of hand painting and altering each tiny object to give gentle lines and shading to his subjects, Black has pioneered an elaborate new form of pixilation that he uses to hid subtle implications within each of his images.

ARTWORKS
Joe BLACK

Never Explain

Nuts and Bolts

168 x 126 x 12,5 cm
66.1 x 49.6 x 4.9 in

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The Gift, 2016

Tacks

140 x 140 x 12,5 cm
55.1 x 55.1 x 4.9 in

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Blue Lady - Nude Study 2

Handmade Badges

161 x 107,2 x 6 cm
63.4 x 42.2 x 2.4 in

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Copy - Green (Made in China Series) Right 02, 2019

3 parts flocked acrylic panels

176,5 x 136 x 7 cm
69.5 x 53.5 x 2.8 in

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Beautiful Game

Miniature Plastic Flowers

192 x 144 x 8,5 cm
75.6 x 56.7 x 3.3 in

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Marilyn (close up series), 2022

Mixed Media

155 x 115 x 8 cm
61 x 45.3 x 3.1 in

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Ava (close up series), 2022

Mixed Media

155 x 115 x 8 cm
61 x 45.3 x 3.1 in

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Algorithm 04, 2023

Bespoke hand cast resin cylinders on aluminium

165 x 165 x 10 cm
65 x 65 x 4.3 in

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Algorithm 01, 2023

Bespoke hand cast resin cylinders on aluminium

165 x 165 x 10 cm
65 x 65 x 4.3 in

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