12 Years of Turf: In-conversation with Henrique J. Paris

About

What support do artists need to develop a creative career? As part of our 2025/26 LEGACY programme year, we're inviting Turf alumni artists back to reflect on and discuss their careers since their involvement with Turf. Our first alumni artist will be Henrique J. Paris, our 2019 Croydon School of Art Resident Artist, who is currently showing at Turf again as part of WETPAIN.

Join Henrique and some of the Turf team for an informal discussion about his initial involvement with Turf, how it's impacted his career and working processes, and what he's been up to since.

ABOUT HENRIQUE J. PARIS

Henrique J. Paris is an Angolan artist-researcher, graduated in Philosophy and currently completing a postgraduate degree in Architecture at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in London. His artistic practice dissects philosophical, scenographic, and architectural frameworks. He examines enacted modes of power, moral codes, anticolonial praxis and Christian discipleship. J. Paris has explored these themes through image-making, multimedia installations, sound-oriented performance and cultural production. These formats serve as tools of contestation, re-memory, and testimony. His previous projects include the 2019 solo exhibition ‘Home Is Where The Body Isn’t’, Proyecto de Movilidad Panamá-Angola-Portugal with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) Panama, Álbuns de Família at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos in Lisbon, Body as Testimony with Iniva (Institute of International Visual Arts), Field Notes with the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and Family Lines with the Douglas Hyde Gallery in Dublin.

ABOUT TURF:

Founded in 2013 by Croydon locals, Turf is Croydon’s homegrown artist space and the first entirely artist-run contemporary art space in the borough. Based in Croydon’s Whitgift Shopping Centre, we put on free exhibitions 7 workshops, provide affordable artist studios, run a free creative project space for locals & host a number of other local creative organisations and collectives. A registered charity, Turf aims to provide paid opportunities for artists and creatives who might otherwise be undersupported.

A request from the Turf team - if you book, please turn up!

In 2023, around 30% of people booking free tickets didn’t attend. As a charity, we aim to support people who need creative opportunities the most and our free tickets are limited and in high demand. Every person who doesn’t turn up means someone else can’t attend, so please let us know if you can’t make it to free up a space. If you don’t attend twice or more without letting us know, you may be restricted from booking again.

KEY ACCESS INFO​

• To help us support you best, please let us know if you have any access needs when booking.
• For access info about getting to Turf and the Turf space, click here.
• Our unit in the Whitgift Centre is 4 minutes walk (0.2 miles) from Wellesley Road Tram stop via the underpass, and 7 minutes walk (0.3 miles) from West Croydon Station and 8 minutes walk (0.4 miles) from East Croydon station.

WORKSHOP CODE:

Turf aims to be a space where all are welcomed & respected. We ask all attendees to align with this spirit when booking and support us in creating a welcoming & collaborative atmosphere together. We ask that everyone is;

• Kind and respectful in our language and behaviour towards others. Turf is a space which is anti racism, sexism, homophobia and ableism.
• Considerate of others’ time; allowing others room to speak & engage.
• Respectful of the space itself as belonging to many people, treating the space & objects with care.