ROCK PAPER SCISSORS Joy Yamusangie 10 November 2020 – 20 January 2021 Back Images Joao1 Joy Yamusangie used their ROCK PAPER SCISSORS projects to explore themes of identity and place with children local to Elephant and Castle. Taking place over the 2020/1 lockdown, the Flatpack project engaged children remotely. Envelopes of drawing and collage materials, as well as artist-led activity sheets were distributed via schools for children to take home. Joy devised activities to encourage children to consider ‘Who Am I?’ Simple prompts asked children to respond creatively to their skin, hair, emotions and facial characteristics as starting points for colourful drawings. The returned artworks were made into a series of postcards for the children to keep, share, swap and post! ‘Who Am I?’ was installed as the third in a series of four temporary billboard commissions for Tannery Projects, curated by Nina Shen-Poblete. The Flatpack postcard designs were printed large scale and pasted onto Drawing Room’s façade. Coinciding with the closing of St John’s C of E Primary School, the billboard leaves a visible imprint of the children who played a valuable part since the beginning of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS and the local community as they transition to new schools. Joy used the Family Studio to explore ideas around the individual and community, with families who dropped in to take part. People were invited to make playful forms of portraiture, to represent themselves and each other, using drawing and cut-outs. Joy Yamusangie uses drawing, painting and collage to explore socio-political themes from a personal perspective, taking the form of works-on-paper, clothing and paintings on cardboard. Their practice uncovers themes of memory, intimacy, race and culture within the Congolese diaspora, with inspiration drawn from past conversations, places and moments. Recent solo shows include: Blue Glass Fortunes, Home Manchester, 2020 and Beers London, 2019; Do You Know Your Middle?, 198 Gallery, 2018; and group shows The Other/d Artist/s, Transmissions Gallery, Glasgow, 2017. Joy has been commissioned to produce large scale public artworks by the London Borough of Culture Award 2021; GLA and Mayor of London, 2020; Women of Waterloo Bridge, Public artwork for LDN WMN, Tate Collectives, 2018. Thank you to all involved: Adebimpe, Aisha , Alechsander ,Asar ,Chekayah ,Christopher ,Desiree ,Hannah ,Humu ,Jaliyah ,Jayda, Joanna ,Joao ,Kaliyah ,Misael ,Nariah ,Nathan ,Ofe, Raheem ,Seriya , Sheneene ,Tianna ,Tyler ,Vinnah ,Wonuola and Yositena. Akhera Williams, Workshop Assistant Esme , Wedderburn, Workshop Assistant, Drawing Room Joy Yamusangie, Artist Misty Ingham , Learning Curator (Maternity Cover), Drawing Room Nina Shen-Poblete, Freelance Curator Sheyamali Sudesh , Learning Coordinator, Drawing Room Solomon Williams, Workshop Assistant, Drawing Room Vanessa Mincher, Pastoral Manager, St Johns Victory Scrapbook It’s a wonderful opportunity for the children to develop their creative skills and Joy has supplied such an exciting range of materials for the children to use. We look forward to sending you the results! Vanessa Mincher, Pastoral Manager, St Johns C of E School It was fun for me as well as my son Teon. He has complex needs it was very nice to see him do some drawing. Chanelle, Mother