Joseph Loughborough

Bio

Joseph Loughborough (b. 1981, UK) is a British artist known for his powerful figurative works that explore themes of identity, emotion, and the human condition. Through expressive linework and dramatic, often distorted compositions, his drawings are raw, layered, and psychologically charged.

Born in Portsmouth—a historic coastal city in southern England—Loughborough spent his early years exploring abandoned boatyards and tidal inlets, experiences that continue to inform the textures of his visual world. After studying illustration at Portsmouth University, he worked as a storyboard artist and designer before fully committing to his studio practice. His work reflects influences from fine art, philosophy, skateboarding culture, and urban aesthetics.

He spent nearly a decade in Berlin and Paris—cities that shaped his engagement with German Expressionism, classical sculpture, graffiti, and psychoanalytic theory. Now based in London, he continues to create works that evoke ritual, vulnerability, and inner conflict.

Working primarily in pastels, charcoal, ink, and gold leaf, Loughborough’s solitary figures often appear suspended in moments of emotional tension—caught between chaos and control, defiance and fragility. Inspired by existential thinkers like Camus and Kierkegaard, as well as the psychological inquiries of Freud and Jung, his practice merges the cerebral with the visceral.

Loughborough’s work has been exhibited widely across the UK, Europe, and the US, and is held in numerous international collections. He has exhibited with us on multiple occasions, including a solo show in 2019, and returns in June 2025 with These Corroded Poems.

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