Now published

For over sixty years, artist and poet John Lyons has traversed the realms of Trinidadian folklore and mythology through painting and poetry. For Lyons, painting is a dynamic, expressive language that can reach deep into the psyche. Enigmatic figures mingle with motifs from Lyons’ personal artistic symbolism, drawn from both memories of mas and his conceptual art education in 1960s London. A celebration of storytelling, John Lyons: Carnivalesque follows his commitment to the language of painting and the processes of the studio.

The first publication dedicated to Lyons’ artistic career, this book accompanies his first major survey exhibition and offers new essays and conversations about his intuitive creative process.

Alongside contributions by Eddie Chambers, Olivia Heron, Dominique Heyse-Moore and Daniella Rose King, John Lyons and Alnoor Mitha, the book features over sixty images and a selection of poetry, including ‘Mutability’, his latest poem, written in response to the exhibition.

“John Lyons: Carnivalesque – Some Considerations” catalogue essay for John Lyons: Carnivalesque, retrospective exhibition at the Whitworth, University of Manchester, 10 May - 25 August 2024.

See https://www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/upcomingexhibitions/johnlyons/