To round off their fellowships at the 2022 edition of the Venice Biennale, OSE Alumni Tolu Oshodi & James Jordan Johnson recently gave artist talks in which they discussed the projects they proposed to explore & develop whilst in Venice and their experiences of developing work and hosting workshops at the Biennale.

To learn more about the outcomes of the 2022 Fellowship Programme please visit the British Council website and look through the 2022 Yearbook:

You can find documentation from each talk below and links to Tolu & James’ websites. Venice Presentation #1 with Tolu Oshodi was generously hosted by Turner Contemporary.

Tolu Oshodi presented Remnants, a continuing body of work exploring the cyclical nature of cell regeneration occurring over a seven-year time span and its relationship to the human body and the physical encounters we have in our lifetime. They shared their process and findings from participatory movement workshops they facilitated during their experience as a British Council fellow at the 59th International Venice Art Biennale, and the implications they have created on their thinking and work.

James Jordan Johnson presented key projects and performances that inform their practice and discussed his interest in cartography, routes, object coding as well as his recent research and experiences as a British Council fellow at the 59th International Venice Art Biennale in November 2022.

The Venice Fellowships Programme is a one-month experience at the Venice Biennale for emerging artists to develop a proposed project and work as an exhibition ambassador at the Great Britain Pavilion.

The 2022 Fellowships Programme invites artists and practitioners from 30 Higher Education Institutions and 4 UK Arts and Cultural Organisations; including Open School East, Turner Contemporary, Golden Thread Gallery and New Contemporaries. 

The Venice Fellowships Programme is supported by British Council & Turner Contemporary.

“We are thrilled to have been able to partner with the British Council on their Fellowships Programme 2022. Opportunities for OSE Alumni Artists to spend time in a completely different context helps them to grow and reflect in their practice and research pathways. Without opportunities and support like this it is unlikely that many young artists would be able to access and experience the Venice Biennale and the international art sector and networks that it brings. These moments in artists careers are integral to them sustaining and opening networks and thinking, reflecting in their work whilst being part of a wider-international context.” – Polly Brannan, OSE Artistic Director