Josiane M.H. Pozi (b. 1998, London) is an artist and filmmaker living and working in London. The intimate scenes in Pozi’s work are both confined by and negotiated against complex power structures. From these emerge a sense of desire and necessity, explorations of expectation and disappointment, and through these fragments of existence—told through observation, conversation, music, and dance—a sense of refusal is formulated. Over the past two years, her video works have appeared at institutions including Somerset House, Carlos/Ishikawa, London; Kunsthaus Glarus; Stadtgalerie Bern; Galerie Bucholz; Kunstmuseum St. Gallen; and The Shed, New York, among others. Last year, Serpentine Gallery, London, commissioned and staged Pozi’s first-ever play within Theaster Gates’ pavilion, building on her presentation at Auto Italia, London, supported by Arts Council England, Forma Arts and Media Limited. Beyond her gallery practice, Pozi is also a frequent musical collaborator, contributing to music videos and live visuals for artists such as Klein, Moses Boyd, Four Tet, and Arthur Jafa. Selected press and text have been featured in Mousse Magazine, Kaleidoscope, Metal Magazine, and i-D Magazine.

HOW IS YOUR WORK INFLUENCED BY THE CIRCA 2024 MANIFESTO?
‘Restaurants 2.30 version’ is an edited down version of a video made for the artist Richie Culver featuring the American poet, musician and activist Moor Mother ‘Restaurants’. The piece is a three act vignette of an unnamed, unknown woman, addressing ideas surrounding perception/performance and the spectacle of black persons. The effects of white patriarchy racialised construction of how society should perceive black people and it’s effects both externally and internally for black people. How this perception shifts or morphs at two extremes of spectacle: to be championed and enjoyed, and also hated and vilified. “ What they said left imprints on the brain.”

WHAT WOULD YOU CREATE/DO WITH THE £30K CIRCA PRIZE?
I propose a project honouring women like my mother through a play or film exploring themes of care. It depicts a woman balancing roles as mother, NHS midwife, and friend, exploring caregiving complexities. This project explores generational perspectives on mental health whilst critically examining the cyclical and surrealist nature of care and the lack thereof for black women in such environments.

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