Joya: AiR / Juliette Ezaoui / FRA

“I decided to go to Joya: AiR when the days in London started to feel gloomy, and the thought of winter coming made me take the decision. The cold, dark months ahead pushed me to seek a change, and Joya: AiR felt like the perfect escape.

I stayed for three weeks at the residency, and the blue skies and yellow sun in January felt like a treat—an unexpected break in the middle of my London life, a burst of oxygen on these cold winter days.

I felt incredibly welcomed in Donna and Simon’s home. It felt as if we were part of their life, part of their family, all isolated together at the top of the same mountain.

It was a great time to focus and start working toward a new body of work. The silence and the calm landscape made this residency feel like a long meditative journey. It helped clear the noise in my head, to "catch the big fish," as our dear friend Lynch would say.

In this simple, peaceful routine, a few moments punctuated our days. The communal dinners with the other residents were something to look forward to. Donna is an amazing chef, and you could feel her love and motherly care in every meal, every night. Simon would start his ritual of lighting the stoves throughout the house, filling the space with warmth and creating a comforting soundtrack to the evening.

Thank you, Donna and Simon, for your time and attention. And thank you, Imogen, Rachel, Kathrine, Maria, Nikki, Sandra, Thera, Katia, and Laure, for all the laughter, great conversations, long walks, and love”.

Juliette Ezaoui

Juliette Ezaoui’s practice explores the interconnectedness of living, non-living, human, and non-human systems, particularly through soil. Drawing on her horticulture studies at OrganicLea, she investigates how soil reveals the foundations of life above it. Ezaoui is concerned with the idea that humans are not isolated but intricately linked to the organisms and materials around them. She believes this understanding can challenge Western models of consumerism, politics, and economics, offering a potential path to address the climate crisis.

Ezaoui (b. 1992) has an MA in Interior Architecture from Olivier de Serre, Paris (2014), attended the Turps Art School studio programme in London (2019–2021), and completed a degree in Organic Horticulture from OrganicLea (2022), London. She is a permanent studio holder at Studio Voltaire, London and co-founded The Gleaners Collective.

She has shown works with Studio Voltaire (2024); published her work with Chelsea curatorial MA students and the Mosaic Rooms (2024); Blink Collective, London (2024; 2022); Blue shop cottage (2023), created a site-specific installation for OrganicLea Farm, London (2022); for Cyprus College of Art, Cyprus (2022); Eel Pie Island, London (2022); Thames Side Studio Gallery, London (2021); PADA Gallery, Lisbon (2019); Eveliebe Gallery with Soho Beach Hotel, Barcelona (2019); Gallery Tarivoci, Paris (2018).

Simon Beckmann21 February 2025