Josh Vyrtz (he/him) born in 1992 in Stoke-on-Trent, is a British / Swiss artist based in London since 2012.
My work deals with online influencers - the kind who tell you what gear to buy, how to speak to camera and what trends to follow in order to grow online.
Completing an MA in Fine Art Media at the Slade School of Fine Art (London) in 2018 I exhibit my work nationally and internationally, was shortlisted for the Red Mansion Art Prize (Beijing) and have participated in residencies at Donna Laura Gallery (Lisbon) and HFBK (Hamburg).
Since 2017 I have created performance art with Swedish artist Axel Berger. Together we have toured two feature length shows, ‘If Civilisation’ and ‘Plug Fair / Through a glass, darkly.’ at the Edinburgh, Lahti and Stockholm Fringe Festivals. We have performed our other works at the Chalten Gallery, Bloomsbury Theatre Black Box and Elmer Project Spaces. In 2020 we were presented with ‘The Most Innovative’ award at the Stockholm Fringe Festival and in 2022 we were invited to complete a residency and perform and at the IAC (Malmö) conference on Public Immersion.
Independently, I have been exploring social media networks using an ethnographical process. This practical research, under the umbrella title Grow (2019-present), has lead to the creation of nine works of artist moving image which have been screened at Graft (Lancashire) and Set (London) and have been featured in eyeglasses.com's Vision Magazine and Permeable Barrier issues One and Four.
Exhibitions | |
2023 | Volume four, Permeable Barrier (Online), ‘Medusa’ |
2022 | Inter Arts Center, Malmö SE, 'Plug Fair / Through a glass, darkly' |
2021 | Lahti Fringe Festival, Lahti FI, 'Plug Fair / Through a glass, darkly' |
2020 | Stockholm Fringe Festival, Stockholm SE, 'Plug Fair / Through a glass, darkly’ |
2019 | Volume one, Permeable Barrier (Online), ‘Gendered toilet graffiti’ |
2019 | BF Film Festival IX, GRAFT, Lancaster UK, ‘Gendered toilet graffiti’ |
2019 | Gisa Crack, AMP Gallery, London UK, ‘A person frowning at a Sausage’ |
2019 | Mellifluous Elephant, Donna Laura Gallery, Lisbon PT, ‘A person frowning at a Sausage’ |
2018 | Bar Bados Project Space (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Edinburgh UK, 'If Civilisation' |
2018 | Chalten Gallery, London UK, 'Two people frowning at a Sausage.’ |
2018 | Bloomsbury Theater Blackbox, London UK, 'Eleven Ideas'
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2018 | Elmer Art Space, London UK, 'The accumulative worth of an apple' |
2018 | im sorry i was late, SETSETSET Gallery Dalston, London UK, ‘Moshing’
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2017 | Have you seen this woman?, Chalton Gallery, London UK, ‘Follow hare’ |
2017 | Bristo Square Promanade (Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Edinburgh UK, 'PLUG FAIR / Through a glass, darkly' |
2017 | I conversed with the spiritual sun that I saw them (curated w / Eom Jeongwon), Primrose Hill Park, London UK, 'Eloise' |
2015 | Above the chamber, Menier Gallery, London UK, 'Panda ball' |
2015 | I love the water, Gallery of HFBK, Hamburg GE, 'Slug ships' |
2015 | You Have Got My Bone, Old Foyles Building, London UK, 'Turmeric land' |
Residencies | |
2022 | Public immersion, Inter Arts Center, Malmö SE |
2019 | Mellifluous Elephant, Donna Laura Gallery, Lisbon PT |
2017 | FAR A FIELD, Slade School of Fine Art, London UK |
2015 | Hochschule für bildende Künste, Hamburg GE |
Awards | |
2020 | 'Most innovative', Stockholm Fringe Festival, Stockholme SW |
2018 | Kaitak Centre, Hong Kong HK, (shortlisted) |
2017 | Red Mansion Art Prize, Beijing CHN, (shortlisted) |
Education | |
2018 | MA Fine Art, Slade School of Fine Art (UCL), London |
2015 | BA Fine Art, Goldsmiths (University of London) |
2012 | Foundation in Art and Design, Leeds Collage of Art |