John was born in Bromley but, in 1997, shortly after graduating from art school, he moved to Finland - where he has gone on to recognition and awards, both in Scandinavia and internationally. He suffers from severe dyslexia and started drawing as a way of coming to terms with the resulting difficulties he had at school. Letters appear to him as visual forms rather than comprehensible symbols.
He now creates large scale drawings, performance and video works that illustrate the problems that his dyslexia has given him. Immediately after school John spent some time doing labouring jobs on building sites and this period left an indelible impression upon him. This is also reflected in his performances - which often have an endurance element to them - and his works, many of which are labelled with the number of hours work that were required to complete them.
Work Between the Lines is a fascinating exhibition which combines art with a graphic picture of the difficulties that people with dyslexia face in a world where the written word is pervasive. The exhibition goes on until 24 November and on the final Saturday John will perform a specially commissioned 8 hour performance piece.
The photos here give a taste of what the exhibition is all about - although they cannot do justice to the detail shown in the exhibits or to the performances shown on videos:
