Joy Labinjo’s mural draws on photographs of gatherings by Becontree residents, official archive photographs, and the artist’s own images. The vibrant large-scale work reflects the artist’s interest in depicting intimate seemingly familiar scenes of everyday and domestic situations that question our ideas of both belonging and sense of self.

Labinjo is known for her large-scale paintings spanning abstraction, naturalism and graphic patterns.  Her style includes multiple modes of representation including abstraction, naturalism and graphic patterns, inspired by Ankara print designs, as well as a mixture of techniques (she uses household paint, acrylic and oil), that echoes her experience of multiple identities – growing up Black, British, Nigerian in the 90s and early 00s.

Her paintings expand on her heritage and map a constellation of places and people which extend across generations and geographies, evoking the fashion, hairstyles and interiors of yesteryear and places such as Essex and Lagos, which played an important role in the artist’s upbringing. She questions our idea of both belonging and sense of self by inviting us to rethink and consider both past and present, personal and collective subjectivities.

Joy Labinjo’s mural is located at Dagenham Heathway, RM10 8QS.