Jo Berry
Jo Berry’s paintings are in dialogue with the status of the image today, a look at the world viewed through screens. She often draws from overlooked corners of internet for inspiration, in the case of the ‘Machine’ works for example, a YouTube video of a smoke machine demonstration, photographed from a laptop screen. An image to reference her painting process. Qualities such as underexposure, blurring and misregistered colour are under investigation as the already corrupted image becomes further removed from its original source through the process of duplication. More limitations are placed on the image by selecting a scene in semi-darkness. The viewer is left to reconstruct a narrative themselves.
Jo Berry is a painter based in Cardiff. In 2022 she was longlisted for the Contemporary British Painting Prize. Her paintings have been selected for the John Moores Painting Prize, the Beep Painting Biennial and the National Eisteddfod for Wales. In 2018 she exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery, London as part of ‘Into a Light’ curated by Lle Gallery, Cardiff and Paper Gallery, Manchester.
Jo was the winner of the 2025 Irving Open Call, and she was selected by the co-judges to be offered a solo show at Irving Gallery in 2026. Her solo show ‘Shadow Mirror’ opens at Irving Gallery on 20th June 2026.
Catalogue of works
2026
Acrylic on canvas
60 × 46 cm
"My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from screens and film stills – scenes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.
This one is an image taken of a TV screen, with a deliberate attempt to retain the digital origin of the image. The visual qualities under investigation in these paintings tend to be underexposure, blurring and misregistered colour as an already corrupted image becomes further removed from its original source through this process.” - Jo Berry
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2025
Acrylic on canvas
70 × 92 cm
"My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from screens and film stills – scenes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.
This one is an image taken of a TV screen, with a deliberate attempt to retain the digital origin of the image. The visual qualities under investigation in these paintings tend to be underexposure, blurring and misregistered colour as an already corrupted image becomes further removed from its original source. Just enough visual information remains to make out a figure in a possible domestic setting.
At the time I was thinking about écriture feminine and reading the Neapolitan novels of Elena Ferrante, so no coincidence this is a still from a TV adaptation of My Brilliant Friend." - Jo Berry
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2026
Acrylic on canvas
75 x 100 cm
“My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from film stills – often landscapes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.
This is still from a short film by Christopher Nusca, a film maker who asked me if he could use one of my paintings for a film poster. It’s called Ketamine Sun as it was painted mostly under artificial light and I was listening to Octo Realm/ Ketamine Sun by The Fall quite a bit when I was painting it, a band with the best song titles.
I often a deliberately retain the digital origin of the image I’m working with, in the case of this painting its the lens flare and reflection.” - Jo Berry.
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2026
Acrylic on wooden board
50 × 41 cm
“My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from film stills – often landscapes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing, and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.” Jo Berry.
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2026
Acrylic on canvas
75 × 95 cm
“My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from film stills – often landscapes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing, and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.
This is a still from a short film by Christopher Nusca, a film maker who asked me if he could use one of my paintings for a film poster. I often deliberately retain the digital origin of the image I’m working with, in the case of this painting it’s the lens flare and reflection.
The title Evening Star is a reference to my day job which involves spending a lot of time looking at the news. This sometimes becomes a source of imagery for my paintings.” Jo Berry.
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2026
Acrylic on canvas
62 × 66 cm
“My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from film stills – often landscapes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing, and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.
This is still from a short film by Christopher Nusca, a film maker who asked me if he could use one of my paintings for a film poster. The title Weather Report is referencing the song ‘Weather Report 2’ by The Fall, a band with the best song titles.
I often a deliberately retain the digital origin of the image I’m working with, in the case of this painting its the lens flare and reflection.” Jo Berry.
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2023
Acrylic on canvas
90 × 120 cm
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2024
Acrylic on canvas
65 × 100 cm
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2025
Acrylic on canvas
75 × 100 cm
“Part of an ongoing series, this painting directly reflects my own making process. I use an airbrush and compressor to paint smoke machines—devices that, in turn, generate clouds of vapour.
I took a series of site-specific photos using a rented smoke machine in landscapes of former illegal raves from the late eighties and early nineties, near the M4 and M25. This one was taken in the grounds of the Littlecote House hotel, just off the M4 in Berkshire.” - Jo Berry
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2025
Acrylic on canvas
80 × 80 cm
"Part of an ongoing series, this painting directly reflects my own making process. I use an airbrush and compressor to paint smoke machines - devices that, in turn, generate clouds of vapour.
I took a series of site-specific photos using a rented smoke machine in landscapes of former illegal raves from the late eighties and early nineties, near the M4 and M25 corridors. This one was taken in some woodland near the M1 / M25 interchange at Watford." - Jo Berry
2025
Acrylic on canvas
45 × 60 cm
“Part of an ongoing series, this painting directly reflects my own making process. I use an airbrush and compressor to paint smoke machines—devices that, in turn, generate clouds of vapour.
With this one I was trying to explore how far I could go with making the smoke almost entirely dominate the canvas but still retain a sense of landscape.
I took a series of site-specific photos using a rented smoke machine in landscapes of former illegal raves from the late eighties and early nineties, near the M25. This one was taken in a field near Brackley, Northamptonshire on a walk to the site of the former Turweston airfield.” - Jo Berry
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2026
Acrylic on wooden board
20 × 30 cm
“Part of an ongoing series, this painting directly reflects my own making process. I use an airbrush and compressor to paint smoke machines—devices that, in turn, generate clouds of vapour.
I took a series of site-specific photos using a rented smoke machine in landscapes of former illegal raves from the late eighties and early nineties, near the M25. This one was taken in a field near Brackley, Northamptonshire on a walk to the site of the former Turweston airfield.” - Jo Berry
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2025
Acrylic on wooden board
20 × 30 cm
“Part of an ongoing series, this painting directly reflects my own making process. I use an airbrush and compressor to paint smoke machines—devices that, in turn, generate clouds of vapour.
I took a series of site-specific photos using a rented smoke machine in landscapes of former illegal raves from the late eighties and early nineties, near the M25. This one was taken in a field near Brackley, Northamptonshire on a walk to the site of the former Turweston airfield.” - Jo Berry
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2022
Acrylic on board
20 × 25 cm
“A painting originally created for Stage, a multi-artist installation and zine project curated by Lle Projects, with all artworks responding to the theme of ‘stage’. This is a painting of Tom Mullica, a magician who worked with cigarettes.” - Jo Berry
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2025
Acrylic on canvas
45 × 60 cm
"Named after a song by DJ Marcelle who I saw at the Atonal Festival in Berlin, this is a found image of a smoke machine demonstration after the photos I took of the smoke machines at the festival didn’t really work as paintings.
Another painting in an ongoing series, this painting directly reflects my own making process. I use an airbrush and compressor to paint smoke machines—devices that, in turn, generate clouds of vapour.” - Jo Berry
Shipping will be charged separately based on your location. Contact us for a cost estimate.
2025
Acrylic on canvas
80 × 80 cm
"My interest in the found image reveals itself in the series of paintings I have made from screens and film stills – scenes transformed into otherworldly spaces though the process of duplication - photography, printing and then painting with an airbrush on canvas.
This one is an image taken of a TV screen, with a deliberate attempt to retain the digital origin of the image. The visual qualities under investigation in these paintings tend to be underexposure, blurring and misregistered colour as an already corrupted image becomes further removed from its original source. Just enough visual information remains to make out a figure in a possible domestic setting.
At the time I was thinking about écriture feminine and reading the Neapolitan novels of Elena Ferrante, so no coincidence this is a still from a TV adaptation of My Brilliant Friend." - Jo Berry
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