During the mid-nineties, and for the duration of two years, Joyce engaged upon a journey where her new series of 'Dance Tableaux' and 'Dance Backdrops' conveyed the anti-racist message of indo-europeens and people of african descent, men and women, enjoying dance together.
In an attractive, fun and pop depiction of positive energy, they articulated what had become a more activist bias to Joyce's practice, who only seldom produced work in the elitist abstract and modernist vein of previous years from this point onwards and for a number of years to come.
Two large posters were painted in mixed media and placed onto the walls of the Beluchi' s bar, in Covent Garden, W1, London.
The "Dance Tableaux" were exhibited in Paris, near La Bastille, for a month.
A mural of life sized "Dancers", designed in car spray paint and thick permanent ink feltmarker, together with an added carved contribution by friend Conel placed high up on one of it's walls, climbed the central staircase of the "Cool Tan Arts", then a squatted cultural centre in Brixton, South London, which at the time drew crowds of thousands of dancers to their regular week-end dance events. This mural was filmed, featuring Joyce, and Maz, who also assisted her on the project, by her than husband, Cheikh Bamba Diop.
A dancer adorned a leather shop's animation acrylics and car spray painted floor in Camden Town.
Dancing west african models in animation acrylics, car spray paints and glitter onto 2 large tarpaulin sheets overlooked a large stage for fashion shows and music nights in Willesden Green, North West London.
Dancers on backdrops were often hung beside speaker towers at jazz, reggae, and dubb nights in South London, accompanied by their dancing painter, until the early hours of the morning.
They also adorned regular african world music nights organized by Cheikh Bamba Diop at the St Peter's heritage centre in Vauxhall and appeared on the design of his many music documentary videos.
"Match sticks" dancers very similar to Joyce's original designs were even spotted onto photocopied posters in South London...
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JOYCE'S ART : paintings'
