Josie Thaddeus-Johns

Read me Bio Portfolio

Read these first.

These are the pieces I'm most proud of. Scroll down for my full portfolio.

Indigenous Spaces: Venice Finally Gives Room to Forgotten Voices

Elephant.

Did Someone With a Trust Fund Paint This?

The New York Times.

Space Pagans and Smartphone Witches: Where Tech Meets Mysticism

The New York Times.

Anything Goes in Berlin’s Clubs. But Are Bouncers Killing the Vibe?

The New York Times.

Beeple Brings Crypto to Christie’s

The New York Times.

Not All Microbes

Art In America.

Inside the lucrative world of stock photography

The Financial Times Weekend Magazine.

Meet the Competitive Sauna Masters of Europe

The Outline.

About me.

I'm editor in chief and associate director of content at Artsy where I lead our art coverage and content strategy. Before that, I was a freelance writer – covering mostly art, as well as other cultural stuff - for the New York Times, The Financial Times, Frieze, WSJ Magazine, and many more. Originally from London, I've mostly lived in Berlin since 2012, with a few years in Boston, U.S.A. in the middle. I like to make videos about art (follow me on Instagram and Tiktok), and cycle long distances into the forest. Sometimes, I even remember to send out my own newsletter, Realisticism.

Anything regarding Artsy coverage should go to my Artsy address: josie.thaddeusjohns at artsy dot net

Anything else:jthaddeusjohns at gmail dot com

Portfolio.

Everything I've ever written, arranged chronologically.

2022

How VR Is Reconsidering Human Connection, Essay, Frieze
What's In A Name?, Feature, Outland
Art Cologne, the World's Oldest Art Fair, Boasts Impressive Art and a Tranquil Atmosphere, Feature, Artsy
10 Galleries that had a Breakout Year in 2022, Feature, Artsy
How Online Art Buying Has Changed the Gallerist Collector Relationship, Feature, Artsy
Magic 8 Balls. Coin flips. Why do we turn to objects to make decisions for us?, Feature, Boston Globe Magazine
How Many Fairs Are Galleries Attending This Fall?, Feature, Artsy
Did the Pandemic Put An End to Galleries' Summer Holidays?, Feature, Artsy
How and Why Galleries are Getting Hacked, Feature, Artsy
The New Psychedelic Plot, Feature, WSJ Magazine
What Does It Mean for Galleries to Support Queer Artists Today?, Feature, Artsy
Not All Microbes, Essay, Art in America
Can New York Have Too Many Art Fairs?, Feature, Artsy
What The Venice Biennale Means For Galleries, Feature, Artsy
Who Watches the Watchmen? Pilvi Takala Goes Undercover…, Interview, Elephant
Can Machines Really Make Art? The Venice Biennale Says Yes…, Feature, Elephant
Portraits of Love and Loss From an H.I.V.-Positive Childhood, Interview, New York Times
Will Frieze Los Angeles Represent the “New Normal” for Art Fairs?, Feature, Artsy
NFTs Promised to Revolutionize the Art World—but Are Galleries on Board? , Feature, Artsy
Jacky Connolly’s Computer-Generated Doom, Interview, Art in America
Women and Nonbinary Artists Are Breaking New Ground through Generative Art NFTs, Feature, Artsy

2021

Space Pagans and Smartphone Witches: Where Tech Meets Mysticism, Feature, New York Times
For This Artist, the Medium Is the Body, Profile, New York Times
What Sold at Art Basel in Basel 2021, Artsy
The 10 Best Booths at Art Basel in Basel 2021, Artsy
Superflux: the duo inspiring change at Venice Biennale through hypothetical worlds, Profile, Financial Times
Inside the lucrative world of stock photography, Feature, Financial Times Weekend Magazine
Virtual Tourism Via Painted Panoramas. , Art in America, Jan/Feb 2021 issue
Texts and voicemails are too demanding. Send voice memos instead., Opinion, Boston Globe
What Are NFTs anyway?, Explainer, New York Times
Who is Beeple? The Digital Artist Who Brought Crypto to Christie's., Feature, New York Times

2020

How Agnes Gund became an art-world hero, Review, Apollo
I Think About Björk’s Creativity Animal a Lot, Essay, The Cut
The Revelations of John Giorno, Review, Apollo
Fully Automated Luxury Dystopia, Feature, Art in America
John Cage’s mania for mushrooms, Review, Apollo
Show of Hands, Essay on signatures, Gossamer, volume 5
Design Fiction: Real Solutions, Unreal Problems,Feature, New York Times
London’s National Gallery was hit by the biggest art heist in history, Feature, WIRED UK
The Online Museum of Multiplayer Art Turns the Viewing Experience into a Game, Review, Art in America
Sex and the city – William N. Copley in New York, Review, Apollo
What DJ Carl Craig did next, Interview, Frieze
Armory Show to Trade Piers for the Javits Center, News report, New York Times
There's always money in the banana stand, Essay, The Baffler
Self-portraits in the modern age, Review, The Economist
How Extinction Rebellion’s graphic design amplified their year of radical activism, Feature, Crack

Older

It Started as a Movie. As It Ballooned, Its Troubles Mounted., Review, The Economist
“Luce” probes race and privilege in America, Review, The Economist
What De Rerum Natura Can Teach Us About Slowing Down, Essay, Nature Of Things
The evolution of police interrogations on screen, Feature, The Economist
An old coal power station is being turned into a clean energy provider, Feature, WIRED UK
Reach Out and Fetch, Artist's exhibition text, Kovacs/O'Doherty, Hosek Contemporary
Hell Is Other Internet People, Essay/Book Review, The Baffler
Europop: Alyona Alyona and Vendredi Sur Mer, Profiles, The New York Times
An artist revisits famous images from the Kosovo war, Feature, The Economist
Berlin’s Porn Scene Is Open, Experimental, and Endlessly Fun, Feature, Vice
Netflix v Cannes: inside the battle for the future of cinema, Feature, Financial Times
These Artists Want to Blow Up the Whole Financial System, Feature, The New York Times
A Step Into the Unknown, With Virtual Reality, Feature, The New York Times
It turned out we were truly at the Vegas of German spas, Diary, Popula
Thing Untweetable, Essay on Jenny Holzer, The Baffler
Think You Know This Photograph? Take Another Look, Interview with Cortis & Sonderegger, The New York Times
“Mr. Jones” tells the story of the man who exposed the Ukrainian famine, Feature, The Economist
Welcome to the Cinema of Smells, Feature, The Outline
'Dau' Premiere in Paris Is Postponed, News report, The New York Times
We swam south through green fields and rolling hills, Diary, Popula
Sex lives and video games: first exhibition of LGBTQ gaming history opens in Berlin, Feature, The Guardian
Nils Frahm: Resonate Deeply , Profile (cover story), Crack Magazine
“The Waldheim Waltz”: notes on a scandal, Feature, The Economist
Meet the Competitive Sauna Masters of Europe, Feature, The Outline
Geta Bratescu was a playful and prolific conceptual artist, Feature, The Economist
Inner Sense, Interview with Sissel Tolaas, MATTER
A South African Artist Made An Ex-President's Rape Trial Into Art, Interview with Dineo Seshee Bopape, Vice
A new exhibition fleshes out man's relationship with meat, The Economist
"Siri, are you going to take my job?", Essay, INDIE Issue No. 59
A German museum puts the questionable provenance of its art on display, The Economist
Fights, Camera Action, Interview with M.I.A. and director Steve Loveridge, House Notes magazine
Aesthetic: Sega Bodega, Crack Magazine
Candice Breitz, Interview, Elephant Issue 24
In Search of Virtual Synaesthesia, Essay, Somesuch Issue 3
The Afterlife of Broken Art, Feature, The Economist (1843 magazine)
Jacqueline Donachie at The Fruitmarket Gallery, Review, Artforum
Meet the first humans to sense where north is , The Guardian
Holy Shit!, Interview with Matt Fishbeck, Frieze
The Tank: How Luxury Emerges from the War-Machine, Book review, 032c Winter 2017/8
Virtuous Virtual, Reported feature, MATTER
99 Bottles of Beer on the Ground: Berlin's Bottle Hunters, Reported feature, Edible Queens
A German Design Glossary, book published to coincide with the exhibition "Driven by German Design" at Al Riwaq Gallery, Doha.
Homes That Are Making Waves, Feature, The Economist (1843 magazine)
Virtual Borders in a Harbour Town, Review, Elephant
"Mixed Messages" gives a humorous look at lesbian dating in Berlin, Interview, Siegessäule
Free Orgasms, Neon Lights, and Pepto-Bismol at the Korean Pavilion, Feature, Creators
Andrea Crespo at Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Review, Artforum
A Taxonomy Of Angry Music, Feature, Anxy
The Debaucherous, Alternative Gala Protesting Ivanka Trump, Feature, Broadly
A Modern-day Pinocchio Takes on Rape Culture and Fake News, Exhibition review, Creators
Don't Sext Me In The Present Tense, Essay, The Awl
Open Interpretation: How Christine Sun Kim feels the sound, Interview, Crack Magazine
The Lost 80s Feminist Animation You've Never Seen, Feature, Creators
Kirsten Stolle Edits Vintage Monsanto Ads to Show the Company's Dicey Past, Feature, Creators
Beyond Big Brother: Are we paranoid enough about the reality of modern surveillance?, Exhibition review, Crack Magazine
This 'GTA V' Short About Friendship Premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, Interview with Jonathan Vinel, Motherboard
We Asked This Artist Why He's Trapping Himself in a 13-Ton Boulder For a Week, Interview with Abraham Poincheval, Creators
Want to Own an Emoji? Come to This South Korean Pop-Up, Feature, Creators
In Poland, the Art of Confession Gets Personal, Exhibition review, Creators
CTM 2017: Heightened emotions as radical response, Festival review, Crack magazine
Tokyo's coolest neighbourhood: Kōenji, Feature, The Guardian
Meet the People Living as "Muxe," Mexico’s Third Gender, Feature, Creators
Cheeky, Chubby Lolita Paintings Give a Feminine Facelift to Abstract Expressionism, Interview with Rita Ackermann, Creators
Aesthetic: Yves Tumor, Interview, Crack Magazine
Meet the Women Fighting for America's First Women's History Museum, Interview, Creators
LDN-TXL-CPH, Essay, Somesuch Stories
FF00CC, Flash Fiction, Websafe2k16
Jen Ray: “Beware Of People Who Think Women Are Goddesses. That's Bullshit.”, Interview, ArtSlant
Meeting the landlords of Berlin’s S&M apartments, Interview, Dazed
Arte Fiera: Italy’s Oldest Fair Celebrates its 40th Year, Art fair review, Sleek
Brits Living in the EU React to Brexit, News feature, Broadly
The Island Idyll, Essay, Somesuch Stories
Blood-Red String Installations Visualize the Connections In-Between, Interview with Chiharu Shiota, Creators
Bergen Assembly: Translating Research Into Learning And Art, Review, ArtSlant
Why Protesters Are Still Talking About the Death of Ana Mendieta, Feature, Creators
Unlearning to Hear in an Abandoned Swimming Pool, Interview with Tarek Atoui, Creators
Finally: A Museum That Brings Virtual Reality to Women’s History, Interview with Nonny de la Peña, Creators
How Berlin's Anarchic Art Prize Bucks Big Donors, Feature, Creators
PC Music's Showcase at Berghain Was a Collision of Dance Music's Most Controversial Brands, Gig review, Thump
What to Buy at Berlin's Friendliest Art Book Fair, Feature, Creators
Internet Artists Bridge The Gap Between Username And Body, Exhibition preview, Creators
Sick of Censorship, Artists Launch a "Witchsy" Online Market, Interview, Creators
Meet the Winners of Berlin’s Most DIY Art Prize, Interview, Creators
Josh, the Awkward Kisser from 'Love at First Kiss,' Actually Had a Good 2016, Interview, Broadly
Marc Quinn Is Making News Images Into Tapestries, Interview, Sleek
The Body, Revisited, Essay, Sleek
Eckhaus Latta: There Is No Target Group, Interview, Sleek
Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawings Live Forever, Exhibition review, Sleek
Dicks on the Dancefloor: Über Manly Gay Germans Talk About Masculinity, Interview, Broadly
Learning to Be a Lesbian Online, Essay, Broadly
A Doggie Day Out at Berlin's Annual Pug Race, Feature, Broadly
Panties and Vodka Shots: Partying Hard at Berlin's Pro-Choice Fundraiser, Feature, Broadly
What it's Really Like Working in the Porn Industry, Feature, Dazed
Watch Lily McMenamy in a web series about ‘digital puberty’, Interview with Britta Thie, Dazed
An Interview with Flaneur, Interview, Berlin Art Link
The Collective Unconscious: STADT/BILD – Image of a City, Exhibition review, Berlin Art Link
The All-Female Dance Music Festival That Takes Aim at Bro Club Culture, Feature, Broadly
What Should The Accelerationist Fantasy Look Like?, Festival review, ArtSlant
What it’s really like working in the porn industry, Interview with Jiz Lee, Dazed
Women Seeking Divorce in Turkey are Being Murdered by Their Husbands, Feature, Broadly
Science Does Not Equal Freedom: The Dangers Of Techno-Utopia, Review, ArtSlant
'Bearded Men in Silky Kimonos' is a Pin-Up Calendar For Lovers of Hirsute Men, Interview, Broadly
Berlin's Best Club Nights, Feature, Time Out
Dissent And Resistance In Post-Soviet Art: Carnivals, Clowns, And Slapstick As Political Tools For Today, Review, ArtSlant
A Look Inside Berlin's Very Merry Christmas Jingle Ball, Feature, Broadly
Why The L Word still matters ten years on, Feature, Dazed
Somewhere Under the Rainbow in Ming Wong’s Biji Diva, Review, Sleek
Colours and Chaos: Katharina Grosse, Studio visit, Sleek
Majority Rules, Interview with Young Jean Lee, Siegessäule
Rosa Barba, Studio Visit, Sleek
LSD church orgies and babysitting on codeine, Interview with LaJohn Joseph, Dazed
Girl-on-girl films, Feature, Dazed
Monica Bonvicini, Studio Visit, Sleek
John Bock, Studio Visit, Sleek
Grimes, 'Visions', Album review, Rockfeedback

@ 2020 Josie Thaddeus-Johns