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During the 1980s, Joy Gregory was enrolled at the RCA alongside artist Keith Piper, then organizing a exhibit. “He invited me to submit my art,” says the 65-year-old photographer.

Although he admired her work into colonial themes, race, identity, and aesthetics, the curators turned down her submission claiming it wasn’t “Black enough.” One must recognize the atmosphere of that time,” she states. “I was taking pictures of botanical subjects. For me, you have the freedom to create any work they choose. By shutting down what can and cannot be, they start to restrict oneself.”

Exploring the possibilities of the photographic medium has always been key to Gregory’s practice. This path began with self-portraits and experimentation. Her 1990s work Autoportrait—featuring nine monochrome images—remains one of her best-known creations.

Gregory’s body of work includes still life, portraiture, film, and fabric art, tackling subjects like selfhood, cultural memory, and linguistic traditions. More than 250 pieces will be shown at her career survey named Catching Flies With Honey in the Whitechapel Gallery from October.

A particularly significant new piece required two decades to complete. This new commission examines studies I have conducted from 2003 on endangered languages,” Gregory explains. I have collaborated with a single community and families for over 20 years. A lot of the individuals who participated have died, and it was important to create an object to present the community.”

Born in Bicester in the late 1950s to a Caribbean family, she was artistically inclined from a young age. She painted, designed garments, and read voraciously. My family lived close to a bindery, and when books were discarded, I salvaged them,” she said. Her first camera became a significant investment by her family.

Her goals have always been straightforward: “My dream was simply to make meaningful work.” She values innovation and human touch rather than flawless tech. In modern imaging, each image can be perfect. Yet I’m interested in the idea of human intervention—every image as unique and unrepeatable.”

Featured Works from the Exhibition

Memory & Skin, 1998
“This was the first major commission I received,” notes the artist. “It examined the relationship linking the West and the Caribbean. Growing up in a Caribbean family in Europe, you become speaking two languages, bicultural. It was about bridging both worlds.”

The Fairest, 1999
“I became curious about the reasons someone would want to become blonde,” the artist comments. “I selected participants from various European-descent and non-European origins to talk about their perspectives.”

The Blonde, 1997–2010
“In the late 1990s, there were abruptly a lot of non-white individuals with blonde hair,” she recalls. “They were subverting ideas of self-expression and appearance. Some furious reactions in online forums, but it proved intriguing to witness people playing with personal identity.”

The Handbag Project, 1998–present
“These purses were brought back from South Africa,” says Gregory. “I wanted to create a project tactile, using salt printing. Every result became a surprise.”

Language of Flowers, 1992–2004
“The choice of historical process felt appropriate because it is a 19th-century method,” Gregory says. “It references botanical traditions and the our quest for endurance within a ephemeral world.”

The exhibition will be on view from Whitechapel Gallery from this autumn through 1 March.