When the British-Nigerian artist Joy Labinjo, known for her colourful, largescale portraits, was commissioned by Southwark Park Galleries in south London to help celebrate its 40th anniversary, she immersed herself in the life and history of the area. Eventually she was inspired to make Southwark Park itself her focus. “I felt at peace there,” she says. The result is We Are Briefly Gorgeous , a series of 16 vibrant artworks. From kids playing on bikes to individuals reclining on the grass with a book, the project aims to capture how the public interacts with a much-loved green space . These aren’t portraits, Labinjo says, they’re “characters within a story”.
