Curator, writer and lecturer Péjú Oshin is a Guest Judge for Jackson’s Art Prize 2025. Her work explores the intersection of art, style, and culture, with a focus on liminal theory and diasporic narratives. Oshin supports artists at various career stages, collaborating with emerging talents and cultural producers at institutions like Tate, Barbican, and Wellcome Collection. In this interview, she tells us about some meaningful projects she’s worked on, her role as an advocate for artists, and offers advice on ensuring your work speaks to the artist you want to be.
Guest Judges
Anita Klein: Printmaker and painter, fellow and past president of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers
Anne Rothenstein: Artist represented by Stephen Friedman Gallery, RWA Academician
Péjú Oshin: Curator, writer, and lecturer whose work sits at the intersection of art, style, & culture
Hugo Barclay: Director of Affordable Art Fair UK, Curator, and Art Advisor
Joshua Donkor: Artist, member of the Contemporary British Portrait Painters
Andrew Torr: Artist, winner of Jackson’s Art Prize 2024 with his painting ‘Estate’
Interview with Péjú Oshin
Josephine: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your work in the arts?
Péjú: My name is Péjú Oshin, I’m a curator, writer, educator, and my work sits at the intersection of art style, culture, and some cultural production as well. I have had the privilege of working with some really amazing artists over the past decade, telling lesser known stories, but also amplifying the voices of artists who are from the global majority. And I’ve been able to do that in the context of both institutions and commercial galleries.
Rites of Passage, curated by Péjú Oshin, Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, March 2023
Josephine: Can you tell us about a highlight or memorable moment you’ve had in your career?
Péjú: Perhaps one of my favorite moments was the exhibition that I curated at Gagosian called “Rites of Passage.” That felt like such a special moment, especially as I was working with 19 artists in this really large group show, and it was the last ever exhibition that was held in our Britannia Street space. We brought together the whole of London on the opening evening, and that felt really special. And I think in my work more broadly, thinking about that first encounter with art is really important. So that holds a very special place in my heart.
Another project that I will give an honorable mention to is a project that I worked on at Tate called “Beyond Boundaries”, which was a public art project where we commissioned five young and emerging artists to make their first public artworks. And that felt particularly meaningful because it was a project which helped us to come out of COVID. So again, in thinking about these chance encounters with artwork in our local communities, this was really a lovely moment for me and my colleagues who worked on this.
He(art) is EverywhereHannah Hill, 2021
Josephine: What exhibitions or artists have inspired you over the last year?
Péjú: In the past year, thinking about exhibitions and artists who have inspired me, there have been many, not just in London, but also globally as well. Douglas Gordon, Anna Weyant, Yinka Shonibare, and being able to see the Biennial for the first time in Lagos was really exciting for me: the vibrancy of the city and the collective of artists who’d come together in the city to make that really brilliant exhibition.
Péjú Oshin and Jayden Ali at the Financial Times Weekend Festival, 2024
Josephine: How important or helpful do you think awards and competitions are to artists today, and what makes a good competition?
Péjú: In a world where there are so many people doing lots of things at the same time, I think that competitions or awards can be a great way to introduce their work to new audiences. Additionally, I think it’s a really great way to validate someone’s practice.
It doesn’t mean that anyone who hasn’t won the competition’s practice is any less valid, but I think it can be a really great way to support artists, and provide them with much needed resources, be it monetary or in the form of materials that they might use in order to develop their work further.
I think a good competition is one that gives the space to look at an artist’s practice or the artists who are applying in the broadest way possible. I think it should be about discovering new talent, new voices. Of course, technique is important, but I think it’s really an opportunity to broaden the scope of what we’re seeing in the context of art that’s presented to us on a daily basis. So I think any competition that both gives space to that and encourages people who may not ordinarily apply to competitions like this, I think is a great competition.
Josephine: Are you looking forward to selecting the winner of your own Judges Choice award?
Péjú: I think it’s incredibly exciting, the prospect of selecting a winner for my own judges award. I would describe myself as being an advocate for artists, so if there’s any way in which I can play a role in supporting the career of somebody, I’m really happy to be involved.
Aside from that, I benefit so much from being involved in something like this because this is a really great opportunity for me as a curator and writer and educator to also discover lots of new artists who I might not have had the opportunity to encounter.
Rites of Passage, curated by Péjú Oshin, Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, March 2023
Josephine: What will you be looking for amongst the submissions?
Péjú: In the submissions I will be looking for what I always look for, even in the context of my curatorial practice, which is really about intentionality and also storytelling.
It is really about the feeling of encountering the work, whether that’s happiness or discomfort. I will be looking for work that gives me this kind of visceral feeling. Of course I’m looking at technique, but what I really want is the work to be authentic of the artist and the story that they’re trying to tell, because I believe that to be one of the most important jobs of any artist; looking at the past, the present or figuring out a future and what that looks like for all of us.
Josephine: What advice would you give to artists who are thinking about entering Jackson’s Art Prize 2025?
Péjú: The advice that I would give to artists who are thinking about entering Jackson’s Art Prize is the same advice that I would give to any artist that I work with on a day-to-day basis, and that is about creating work that is authentic to you.
I think for any artist or researcher I think it starts with you, it starts with a question and so in making this work I think it’s really important that people don’t look to what they think people are expecting them to create but thinking about these important stories they want to tell, and that they think are important for the rest of the world to hear.
Take your time, it’s not a box-ticking exercise, this is really about creating something authentic and meaningful and making sure that, when people encounter your work for the first time, it really says something about the artist that you currently are and potentially the artist that you hope to be in the future.
Watch our interview with Péjú Oshin on Instagram
Further Reading
How We Collaborate With Artists
Jackson’s Art Prize 2024 Exhibition at the Affordable Art Fair
Art Fair Checklist for Artists
Expert Advice on Making Your Way as an Artist
Visit Jackson’s Art Prize website
Trending Products
