Simon Fujiwara Joanne, 2016/2018

In his autobiographical works, Fujiwara folds his personal story into larger, historical narratives. Yet when working with the lives of others – friends, acquaintances or historical figures - he often employs archetypes, caricatures and cliches in order to explore universal questions through individual lives.

In Joanne Fujiwara mines the story of his former high school art teacher in a work that points to our vexing relationship to images and objectification. Winner of the Miss Northern Ireland Beauty pageant, champion boxer and teacher, Joanne fell victim to a nude tabloid newspaper scandal that made her infamous as Britain’s ‘topless teacher’ and ruined her career. Five years after the scandal, Fujiwara reconnected with Joanne to collaborate on a video portrait that centers her struggle to redeem her public image. Armed with advisors from focus groups, fashion photographers and the new, direct-to-audience relationship that social media offers, Joanne is meditation on the complex notion of an ‘authentic self’ in an increasingly mediated reality.