Joy Gregory: The Sweetest Thing

Acclaimed artist Joy Gregory has created new work in response to themes and ideas explored in RAMM's In Plain Sight exhibition.

This new commission consists of Gregory’s first textile work, a series of photographs and a video. ‘The Sweetest Thing’ refers directly to the Combesatchfield embroidery on display in the exhibition.

Describing the inspiration for making the work, Gregory says:

“How black people are treated now stems from the history explored in this exhibition. It is a deeply troubling and uncomfortable history. This new work talks to the trade of unrefined sugar and refined sugar, by presenting it in a way that people take responsibility and understand the relationship between themselves and history.

“I’m interested in the stark contrast of the lives lived in the grand houses in Devon – all daintiness, pretty dresses and sitting down to tea – compared to the lives of the enslaved or the factory workers. I see my job as an artist to create curiosity and bring histories together. I am making things of beauty to talk about ugliness.”