Intermission

‘INTERMISSION’ is a series of drawings by Joe Simpson, capturing the lonely, surreal streets of London in a lockdown.  The 10 drawings in fine liner and marker pens on paper, were launched as a virtual exhibition in 2021.

After almost a year of living in some form of lockdown - Joe decided to draw some of the places he misses visiting the most. Joe says “It’s the first time as an artist that I’ve tried to capture a specific moment in time, most of my work deals in fiction and creating stylised narratives in my work, it’s been fun to work in a different way - reflecting a unique moment that we’ve all been living through. I’ve chosen venues that I love and long to return to, and drawn them from a viewpoint that focuses on their eerie quietness. Whether that’s by focusing on an empty bench in the drawing of the Natural History Museum, or a lone man on the phone dwarfed in size by The National Theatre. 

Whilst this series focuses on a difficult time period, I hope they have a timeless quality, that these beautiful places drenched in sunlight feels like a celebration of the city, and an excitement to return to normal.” 

A price list of originals is available to view here.

The project is a literal ‘intermission’ of Simpson’s touring exhibition ‘ACT’, a series of portraits of British actors including Olivia Coleman, Michael Sheen and Mark Gatiss – that was cancelled mid-tour due to COVID.  The show will resume with a London exhibition later this year.  joe-simpson.co.uk/gallery/act/