By Invitation Only: Josh Raz
With a painting on view at Dallas Art Fair this weekend, London-based artist Josh Raz reflects on his journey, shares advice for emerging artists, and offers a glimpse into his personal collection.
Welcome to by invitation only—a new series for paid subscribers on artplace.
by invitation only hosts exclusive Q&As with guests, offering readers a rare behind-the-curtain look into the lives, interests, and perspectives of creative professionals shaping the art world today. It is designed to be simple, informal and personal, giving our audience a real sense of the people behind the work.
Introducing our first guest: Josh Raz
From painting in his parents’ garden to exhibiting at international galleries, Josh reflects on his career: the setbacks, the small wins and the unconventional studio spaces. He offers advice for aspiring artists, gives us a peek into his personal art collection, and shares what he’s currently consuming, from books and podcasts to the quiet moments captured in his camera roll.
This weekend Josh has a painting on view at Dallas Art Fair and is also currently showing work in the group exhibition In Conversation with Salvo at F2T Gallery, Milan.
bio:
Josh Raz (b. 1993) is an artist based in London. After graduating from the Fine Art BA course at Newcastle University, he has continued to build a compelling body of work and has exhibited widely in both solo and group exhibitions across the UK and internationally.
Josh won the Hix Award in 2016, where he had his first London solo show the following year. His most recent solo shows include Shaken Ground at Blue Shop Gallery, London (2023); Trails Through a Reverie at Ronchini Gallery, London (2022); and Half Tranced with PaintersPaintingPaintings (2022). His work has also been shown at prestigious art fairs such as the Dallas Art Fair (2023/2025) and Art Dubai (2024) and he has been featured in publications including GQ Magazine, Artmaze Magazine and Plaster Magazine.
Josh has completed residencies at Al Cuz Cuz in the mountains of Malaga, Spain, and at The Fores Project, London, and his work has been included in group exhibitions at Marlborough Gallery, London; Arusha Gallery, London; and Galerie Marguo, Paris, among others.
A selection of Josh’s recent works that are currently on view:
You can find Josh in all of the following places:
Follow Josh on Instagram @joshua_raz
Visit Dallas Art Fair to see work by Josh at Ronchini Gallery’s booth
See Josh’s painting in person at the group show In Conversation with Salvo at F2T Gallery, Milan
We are thrilled to have Josh as our very first guest!
So without further ado…
What have your studios looked like over the years?
The spaces I’ve worked in have had few consistent characteristics. My first studios that I rented after completing my BA were in Newcastle. Both were in the same repurposed office block and both bound up in the anxious memories of painting independent of an institution for the first time.
Before moving from Newcastle to London, I spent a summer working in the studio that my dad had built for my brother (Ben Raz) and me in my parents’ garden. I’d drag larger canvases onto the grass when the Perspex-roofed studio would overheat and spend time talking through paintings with my brother, who would have been between years studying at Slade at the time.
My current studio is a large, shared room in a former Victorian factory in south-east London. The natural light allowed through the studio’s bank of large windows means that each mark and gesture is laid bare, and my paintings have probably changed most in this space as a result.
How has your artistic career evolved to bring you to where you are today?
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