biography

BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Central St Martins, London
Diploma in Art and Design, East Ham College, London

Brighton-based Londoner Josef remembers rushing home after school in Hackney to make more dalmatians for his self-built, 3D model of Hell Hall, complete with cut-out Cruella DeVille, until he finally had all one hundred and one in place. The themes and currents in Josef's work have remained remarkably consistent ever since, with dalmation dogs occurring and re-occurring in his work, often with codes and symbols hidden on their decorative coats.

Animals, childhood, colour, outline, cut-out figures; these core elements mingle with later influences, from a fascination with stained glass windows to music and club culture, producing a body of work which is often quirky, is always decorative, but can contain an undercurrent that disturbs the joke, hinting at deeper themes of race and sexuality.

Josef has produced and shown work in a variety of contexts, including showing in exhibitions at Skylark Gallery and the Oxo Tower on London's South Bank; with Alternative Arts at Spitalfields; and in the Spirit magazine exhibition, Covent Garden, amongst others. Josef�s original artwork has found its way to many corners of the globe, including Japan, Singapore, Australia and the USA. With illustration commissions for books, magazines and health education campaigns, as well as work within and for public libraries (another recurring theme since childhood days of hanging out in the art sessions at Kate Greenaway Library in Shoreditch ), Josef is now making his work available online for the first time.