José García Oliva is our first Artists For Future Policy commissioned artist. José’s research-led practice focuses on collective making and exploring contemporary forms of labour. The outcomes of his work often involve enactments of social exchanges or provocations, shaped by cultural iconography, site-specificity, and the people he collaborates with. 24 Co-ordinates, 2024 is a two-year project born from conversations with security staff and porters about feelings of loneliness and invisibility, inviting 34 participants to collaboratively create a cyanotype artwork using their torches to trace constellations symbolising their patrol routes, blending themes of individual effort, collective impact, and the often-unseen nature of their labour. José is a Venezuelan artist based in London and is currently the course leader for the MA in Visual Communication at Ravensbourne University and an associate lecturer at Kingston School of Art and Central Saint Martins.
José will be responding to how Metal can be more welcoming in all senses to help us shape our policy ‘Metal Welcome’. As part of José’s commission, he will lead a paper-folding exercise that invites us to rethink and share our perceptions of borders/barriers. Through this hands-on activity, we’ll engage with the paper to explore and embody ideas of openness, care, and inclusion making Metal a more welcoming environment. Explore José’s artist profile here.
