For over sixty years, artist and poet John Lyons has traversed the realms of Trinidadian folklore and mythology through painting and poetry. For Lyons, painting is a dynamic, expressive language that can reach deep into the psyche. Enigmatic figures mingle with motifs from Lyons’ personal artistic symbolism, drawn from both memories of mas and his conceptual art education in 1960s London. A celebration of storytelling, John Lyons: Carnivalesque follows his commitment to the language of painting and the processes of the studio.

The first publication dedicated to Lyons’ artistic career, this book accompanies his first major survey exhibition and offers new essays and conversations about his intuitive creative process. Alongside contributions by Eddie Chambers, Olivia Heron, Dominique Heyse-Moore and Daniella Rose King, John Lyons and Alnoor Mitha, the book features over sixty images and a selection of poetry, including ‘Mutability’, his latest poem written in response to the exhibition.

Spanning six decades, the exhibition surveys his contribution to British art, literature and art education, centred on his exploration of Trinidadian folklore and mythology through painting and poetry. The show includes paintings, drawings and woodcuts, with selected small sculptures and sketchbooks. It includes Lyons’ poetry via text and sound, and importantly, explores the links between his visual and literary practices.