Joanne Coates

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Joanne Coates is an English photographer and visual artist. [1] Born and based in North Yorkshire, she works across the North of England. [2] Coates explores rurality, social histories of class, and inequalities relating to low income through photography, installations, and audio. [3] In 2024 Joanne Coates was appointed the official Election Artist [4] by UK Parliament. [5]

Contents

Coates's work is included within the permanent collections of the Government Art Collection, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, Middlesbrough, and the Arts Council England Collection. [6]

She has had solo exhibitions including at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, [7] the Royal Albert Hall, [8] and Jerwood Space. [9] A central theme in Coates's work is socio-economic class. She participated in the touring show "After the End of History: British Working Class Photography 1989–2024", which examined working class life through documentary photography. [10]

She was awarded Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art Vasseur Artist Award in 2024. [11]

Early life and education

Coates was born in North Yorkshire. [12] She studied BA Hons photography at the London College of Communication, part of the University of the Arts London. [13]

Career

Coates was the subject of a Simon Schama BBC Story of Us, Our Contested Land episode in February 2025, [14] and a BBC Sounds 'Snapshots' show in 2017 [15] Coates has featured on BBC Woman's Hour in 2022 and 2025. [16] [17]

Personal life

She lives in the North of England and still works as a farm labourer. [18]

Coates identifies as a disabled and neurodivergent artist. She has spoken about her experiences with autism and ADHD and how they influence her storytelling and creative process. Her work was included in "Towards New Worlds", an exhibition spotlighting disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent artists. [19]

Awards and recognition

Notable exhibitions

References

  1. "Joanne Coates – Artist". The Hepworth Wakefield. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
  2. "Joanne Coates –biography". Photoworks. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
  3. "Meet Joanne Coates". Department for Culture Media and Sports, UK Government. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  4. "Joanne Coates named official Election Artist for the 2024 General Election". BBC News. 2024-05-31.
  5. "Photographer Joanne Coates named official artist for the 2024 General Election". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  6. "Rural North East artist to have work showcased in British embassies around the world". UK Parliament. 8 September 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
  7. "Joanne Coates – The Middle of Somewhere". BALTIC. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  8. "Joanne Coates – Artist Profile". The Hepworth Wakefield. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  9. "Joanne Coates". Jerwood Arts Archive. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  10. "After the End of History – Stills Gallery". All About Photo. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  11. Harvey, Eleanor (2018-10-17). "LCC graduate Joanne Coates wins the Baltic Vasseur Artist Award". University of the Arts. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  12. Braidwood, Ella; Braidwood, Interview by Ella (12 June 2024). "Joanne Coates – My best Shot". The Guardian. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  13. "Meet Joanne Coates". University of the Arts London. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  14. "BBC Our Contested Land, The Story of us" . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  15. "BBC sounds, Snapshots - The happy hooker". BBC News. 2024-01-21. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  16. "Woman's Hour". BBC. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  17. "Joanne Coates – BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour". BBC. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  18. "Farmworker's nature-friendly photos champion farming". Farmers Weekly. 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  19. "Groundbreaking UK exhibition spotlights work of disabled, D/deaf and neurodivergent artists". The Art Newspaper. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  20. "Joanne Coates – Vassuer Artist Award". Baltic Art. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  21. "Jerwood/Photoworks Awards 2021 – Joanne Coates". Jerwood Arts. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  22. "Joanne Coates – The NewBridge Project". The NewBridge Project. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  23. "Flash Forward 2016 – The Magenta Foundation". The Magenta Foundation. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  24. "Spring 2024 Grant Winners & Finalists". The Hopper Prize. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  25. "Red Herring – Joanne Coates". 2025-05-17. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  26. "The Middle of Somewhere – Baltic Vasseur Artist Award". 2024-05-17. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  27. "Joanne Coates – Daughters of the Soil, The Maltings 2022". Farmers Weekly. 2024-05-27. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  28. "Joanne Coates – The Lie of the Land". Jerwood Arts. Retrieved 2025-05-08.