Les Joynes: Artist Residencies as Research
Les Joynes (US) is a contemporary multimedia artist based in New York. He is a graduate of Goldsmiths (MA Fine Art), completed his PhD from the Faculty of Art, Environment and Technology, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and is a resident scholar on art and philosophy at Columbia University. His work and writing have featured in Art in America, Art Monthly, Flash Art, Commons and Sense, NHK Television Japan, Journal For Artistic Research (JAR) and three new books: Artist Centric Practice, New Institutional Models: China’s Cultural Landscape by Mid-Century (2019) Long Museum, Shanghai; Going Beyond: Art as Adventure (2018), Cambridge Scholars; Art and Research at the Outermost Limits of Site Specificity, Newcastle, Australia and the Journal for Visual Culture, University of California. He is represented by Thomas Jäckel Gallery in New York.
The Geographically Dispersed Museum
How can museums develop diversity, equity and inclusion within their mission and deliverables? How can they enhance career satisfaction and retention in their organizations? Coaching builds cross-team functionality, autonomy and efficiency in times when cohesion is needed most.
FormLAB - Korea
How can researchers and academics thrive even in uncertain times? Academic coaching is not only essential for graduate students on MA, PhD and PostDoctoral programs in developing, planning and defending their research but also for academics from all levels in the continued development of their careers, contributing to the field, the mission of the university and the needs of new generations of students.
FormLAB Brazil
How can artists build sustainable and flourishing practices? Artists work at the interface of materials and ideas. They are constantly navigating in changing environments. Coaching enables them to set goals, and vision for exhibitions, work life balance, teaching and longer term life objectives.
Residencies and Artistic Research Fieldwork
Les has been creating community-focused projects in artist residencies since 1992.
The residency is a learning space. As an artist I discover new perspectives on making, the use of new materials and processes and learning how art reveals our relationships within different social and environmental ecosystems.
He is recipient of Fulbright US Public Diplomacy awards Les has led fieldwork in Germany, Singapore, South Korea, France, Mongolia, China, Russia and now prepares Fulbright research in India. Residencies and workshops include: Beijing Inside Out Art Museum (2018); CEC-Arts Link, St. Petersburg, Russia (2017); Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado, São Paulo, Brazil (ResArtis, 2013); Seoul Foundation for Art and Culture, South Korea (ResArtis, 2012); Brazilian Museum of Sculpture (2012); Treignac Projet, France (2010); Bauhaus Foundation, Dessau (2008-2009); Toosneger Foundation-Dordrecht Printmaking and Painting Residency, Holland (2008); Abbey Fellowship in Public Art, National Academy Museum, New York (2009); Nordic Artists Center (NKD), Dalsasen, Norway (ResArtis, 2008); Nagasawa Woodblock Printmaking Fellowship, Awaji, Japan (2006); Poznan Summer Academy Residency, Poznan, Poland (1994).
Exploring on site materials and processes and creating a space that transforms the residency into a laboratory for experimentation and site-specific discovery. (Left: a work process flow model for FormLAB at the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture in Brazil)
Les is recipient of the 2021 Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award for his artistic research on performative cultures in the School of Arts and Aesthetics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He serves on the Editorial Board of ProjectAnywhere, a peer-reviewed journal on site-specific art at University of Melbourne and Parsons School of Art & Design, The New School, New York. He serves on several artist-selection committees including the Nordic Artist Center (Norway), Harlem Arts Alliance (New York) and CEC ArtsLink (New York) for artist and curator selection.
Site-Specific Performance during Residencies
Performing Site: FormLAB Borderland Siberia
How can museums develop diversity, equity and inclusion within their mission and deliverables? How can they enhance career satisfaction and retention in their organizations? Coaching builds cross-team functionality, autonomy and efficiency in times when cohesion is needed most.
FormLAB - Site specific performance on the Great Wall China
How can researchers and academics thrive even in uncertain times? Academic coaching is not only essential for graduate students on MA, PhD and PostDoctoral programs in developing, planning and defending their research but also for academics from all levels in the continued development of their careers, contributing to the field, the mission of the university and the needs of new generations of students.
FormLAB Zanabazar Museum, Ulaanbaatar
How can artists build sustainable and flourishing practices? Artists work at the interface of materials and ideas. They are constantly navigating in changing environments. Coaching enables them to set goals, and vision for exhibitions, work life balance, teaching and longer term life objectives.
Concept
Les Joynes (US) is a contemporary multimedia artist based in New York. His artwork and writing has featured in Art in America, Art Monthly, Flash Art, Commons and Sense, NHK Television Japan, the Journal For Artistic Research and books: Artist Centric Practice, New Institutional Models: China’s Cultural Landscape by Mid-Century (2019)Long Museum, Shanghai; Going Beyond: Art as Adventure (2018), Cambridge Scholars; Art and Research at the Outermost Limits of Site Specificity, Newcastle, Australia and the Journal for Visual Culture, University of California. He is represented by Gallery Thomas Jäckel in New York.
Excavating Community in Seoul
How can the artist engage the residency and engage community? FormLAB worked with materials collected in the neighborhood of Geumcheon in southern Seoul - activating the studio space as an experimental Lab.
France
Voice as space: Capturing voices of community - creation of vocal performances that examine the topographies of voice and utterance.
China
Transforming the Beijing Inside Out Art Museum into museum an active art studio and lab.
