British artist Joy Gregory opens her first institutional survey show, "Catching Flies with Honey," at Whitechapel Gallery in London, supported by the 2023 Freelands Award. The exhibition features over 250 works spanning four decades, including photography, film, installation, textiles, sound, and digital media, alongside a new commission, "The Last Speakers," filmed over 20 years with a San community in the Kalahari Desert. Gregory discusses her archival process, early influences, and the evolution of her practice, which explores portraiture, language, and cultural identity.
The survey matters because it highlights a mid-career female artist who has not received the attention her work deserves, addressing systemic gaps in institutional recognition. Gregory's interdisciplinary approach—expanding photography's boundaries and engaging with endangered languages and post-apartheid South Africa—offers critical insights into representation, memory, and cross-cultural dialogue. The Freelands Award's role in enabling such visibility underscores ongoing efforts to diversify the art world's canon.