Uploaded October 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Watch a screening of ‘The Joy Inside Our Tears’, Harold Offeh’s installation in our ‘Joy’ gallery. Then listen to a conversation between Harold and curator George Vasey.
They discuss the inspiration behind the piece, including Harold’s interest in collective dance in relation to traumatic histories, from queer communities of colour in 1990s danceathons to medieval dancing plagues. They also talk about the context of making art about collective joy during a national lockdown.
About your contributors
Harold Offeh (he/him)
Speaker
Harold Offeh is a UK-based artist working in a range of media including performance, video, photography, learning and social arts practice. Offeh is interested in the space created by inhabiting or embodying histories, using humour to confront the viewer with historical narratives and contemporary culture. He has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, including Tate Britain and Tate Modern, South London Gallery, Turf Projects (London), Kettle’s Yard, Wysing Arts Centre Studio (Cambridge), Studio Museum Harlem (New York), MAC VAL (France) Kunsthal Charlottenborg (Denmark) and Art Tower Mito (Japan). He recently completed a PhD exploring the activation of Black album covers through performance. He is a Reader in Fine Art at Leeds Beckett University and a tutor in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art.
George Vasey (he/him)
Host
georgegvasey.com
George Vasey is a curator currently working on projects with Wellcome Collection and Leeds Art Gallery. He has curated exhibitions and projects in public, academic and commercial contexts. He has previously worked as a curator at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland and as a curatorial fellow at Newcastle University. In 2017 he co-curated the Turner Prize. His writing has been published in Art Monthly, Art Review, Burlington Contemporary, Frieze and Mousse, as well as numerous artists’ catalogues and books. He regularly teaches and has mentored artists, writers and curators for various organisations.
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Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/explorewellcome
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Watch a screening of ‘The Joy Inside Our Tears’, Harold Offeh’s installation in our ‘Joy’ gallery. Then listen to a conversation between Harold and curator George Vasey.
They discuss the inspiration behind the piece, including Harold’s interest in collective dance in relation to traumatic histories, from queer communities of colour in 1990s danceathons to medieval dancing plagues. They also talk about the context of making art about collective joy during a national lockdown.
About your contributors
Harold Offeh (he/him)
Speaker
Harold Offeh is a UK-based artist working in a range of media including performance, video, photography, learning and social arts practice. Offeh is interested in the space created by inhabiting or embodying histories, using humour to confront the viewer with historical narratives and contemporary culture. He has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, including Tate Britain and Tate Modern, South London Gallery, Turf Projects (London), Kettle’s Yard, Wysing Arts Centre Studio (Cambridge), Studio Museum Harlem (New York), MAC VAL (France) Kunsthal Charlottenborg (Denmark) and Art Tower Mito (Japan). He recently completed a PhD exploring the activation of Black album covers through performance. He is a Reader in Fine Art at Leeds Beckett University and a tutor in Contemporary Art Practice at the Royal College of Art.
George Vasey (he/him)
Host
georgegvasey.com
George Vasey is a curator currently working on projects with Wellcome Collection and Leeds Art Gallery. He has curated exhibitions and projects in public, academic and commercial contexts. He has previously worked as a curator at the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland and as a curatorial fellow at Newcastle University. In 2017 he co-curated the Turner Prize. His writing has been published in Art Monthly, Art Review, Burlington Contemporary, Frieze and Mousse, as well as numerous artists’ catalogues and books. He regularly teaches and has mentored artists, writers and curators for various organisations.
Find us on Facebook: facebook.com/wellcomecollection
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/explorewellcome
See us on Instagram: instagram.com/wellcomecollection
