Jonny Briggs (b. 1985, London) lives and works in London. In search of lost parts of his childhood, Briggs explores a reality outside of the one he was socialised into by creating new ones using himself and his parents as the main subjects. Briggs uses photography to explore his relationship with deception, the constructed reality of the family, and to question the boundaries between child/adult, self/other, nature/culture, real/fake in attempt to revive the unconditioned self, beyond the family bubble. Although easily assumed to be photoshopped or counterfeit, upon closer inspection the images are often seen to be more real than first expected. Involving staged installations, the cartoonesque and the performative, Briggs looks back to his younger self and attempts to recapture childhood nature through assuming adult eyes.
Solo exhibitions include Jonny Briggs, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, USA (2024); Ncontemporary Milan, Italy (2024), Deconstructions, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2022); Knots, Burgh House and Hampstead Museum, London (2021-22); Trying To Be A Square But Never Being A Square, Ncontemporary Milan (2021); Dad Jokes, duo exhibition, Ncontemporary, Milan (2019); Photoforum PasquArt Photo Museum, Switzerland (2017); Two-person Show: The Manicured Wild, Evy Jokhova & Jonny Briggs, Kristin Hjellegjerde, London (2017); Ancestral Home, Simon Oldfield Gallery, London (2013); Out of Focus: Photography, Saatchi Gallery, London (2012); FaMa Gallery, Verona (2012).
Group exhibitions include (Upcoming) Mirror, Mirror, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2024); Suppose You Are Not, Arter, Istanbul, Turkey (2024); The Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK (2023) V&A Wedgwood Collection, Stoke-on-trent, Staffordshire, UK (2023); Je ne suis pas ce que tu vois de moi, Fondation Francès, Clichy, France (2023); Uprising, Schloss Görne, Berlin, Germany (2022); Photo London with Hi-Noon Editions, London (2022); Paradise is exactly like where you are right now, only much, much better, curated by Marta Orsola Sironi and Virginia Lupo, Palazzo Nicolo Spinola Di Luccoli, Genova, Italy (2022); The Futurological Congress, curated by Max Houghton, Kasia Sagatowska and Katya Radchenko, The Jam Factory, Ukraine (2022); Location/Dislocation. Between forgetting and remembering, The Mark Rothko Art Center, Latvia, Curated by Vineta Kaulaca (2019); Peer-to-Peer (Nominated by Brett Rogers), LOOK Biennial, Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool (2019); Peer-to-Peer, Shanghai Center of Photography, China (2019); Photo 50: Who’s Looking at the Family Now? London Art Fair, curated by Tim Clark (2019); My London, Peckham24, Copeland Gallery, London (2018); The Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece (2018); Group Show & Commission: From Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery (2017); This Is Not A Curated Exhibition, Galleria Ramo, Lugano, Switzerland (2017); Centre Photographique, Rouen, Normandy, France, Curated by Raphaëlle Stopin (2016); UK/RAINE art prize, Saatchi Gallery (2016); Soil Culture: Young Shoots, touring exhibition including White Moose, Dartington, Peninsula Arts, Hauser & Wirth Somerset and The Eden Project, Cornwall (2015-2016); Enfances, Galerie d’YS, Brussels, Belgium (2015); The Way We Live Now, The Design Museum, London (2011).
Highlights and Awards
Jonny Briggs was awarded with V &A Wedgwood Museum Commission with GRAIN (2021-2023); the Residency: The Glass Foundry, Stroud, Summer Shortlist: Grand Prix Vevey Summer (2021); Peer to Peer Nomination (nominated by Brett Rogers); Paul Huf Award Nomination (2019); Studio4 Residency, Chisenhale Art Place, London Summer Paul Huf Award Nomination (2018); Wheatley Bequest Fellowship, Birmingham School of Art (2018); Archisle International Photographer in Residence Award (2017; Ibero-American Arts Award finalist (2016); UK/RAINE Art prize: Finalist, Firtash Foundation and Saatchi Gallery (2015); Residency: Babayan Culture House, Cappadocia, Turkey (2014); The Catlin Proze finalist (2012); Prix Leica Finalist (2010); Man Group Scholarship (2009); Ovenden Contemporary First Prize (2009);