The Face of Joy is a limited edition relief print of 25, created specifically for isee.art in collaboration with Studio 46 in Barcelona. The work is based on my 2025 piece My quiet Joy 1.2, which came from a feeling of fulfilment I had after making the original. When I looked at the face — the teeth, the expression, the almost-laughing quality — it gave me this sense of happiness that was not loud or exaggerated. It felt more contained, more internal. That feeling became the starting point for this new edition. The image also carries the influence of African masks, which are often an important visual reference in my work. The structure of the face, the simplified forms and the expression all come from that same visual language. For this edition, I carved the image into a plywood plate before printing it at Studio 46. That was important to me because wood is already central to my practice, so even though the final work is a print on paper, the image still begins with wood. The work was produced using relief printing. Ink is rolled across the raised surface of the plywood plate while the carved lines remain free of ink. When the plate is pressed onto paper, the raised areas transfer the image and the engraved lines appear lighter. I like the way this process changes the original work, reducing it to line, contrast and surface while keeping the expression intact. Working with Studio 46 also allowed me to bring the image into a very different tradition of making. The atelier was founded in 1974 by master printmaker Joan Barbarà and is now continued by Virgil Barbarà. Over the years, the workshop has been associated with major artists including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Antoni Tàpies, Joseph Beuys, Eduardo Chillida, Manolo Millares, Antonio Saura, Miquel Barceló and Jaume Plensa. For me, The Face of Joy is about holding on to that first feeling from the original work — a quiet, deeply felt happiness — while allowing the image to take on a new life through printmaking. This edition of 25 was created specifically for isee.art and will not be available elsewhere.
Shyne Eghosa (b. 1975) is a Nigerian-born, self-taught artist whose work explores memory and identity through bold, textured compositions. Since beginning to paint in early 2023, he has developed a raw and expressive style rooted in Neo-Expressionism, Art Brut, and a Trans-Cultural approach where African heritage and European diasporic experience collide. Working primarily on wood panels with acrylics, oil sticks, pastels, and fabric, he draws inspiration from traditional African masks and crafts, as well as artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Klee, and Manolo Valdés. Many viewers relate his work to Basquiat, though his palette and forms also reflect the modernist spirit of Barcelona, where he currently lives. His choice of wood as a primary surface is rooted in childhood memories grounding his practice in personal history and an approach that embraces the raw, unrefined nature of the materials themselves. He is the founder of Unmaking Art Studio, a nonprofit space in Barcelona where a diverse group of emerging artists come together to share ideas, create, and exhibit. For him, “unmaking” is not about destruction, it’s about stripping away what no longer fits and giving shape to something more honest. As he puts it: “My art is a conversation between cultures, history, and my personal journey. Each piece is a step forward in discovering who I am.” Though new to the art scene, Shyne's work was selected for the juried Biennale di Chianciano 2024 in Tuscany, Italy. He has also exhibited in various group shows in Barcelona, and currently has work with Tobian Art Gallery in Florence, Italy.
The Face of Joy is a limited edition relief print of 25, created specifically for isee.art in collaboration with Studio 46 in Barcelona. The work is based on my 2025 piece My quiet Joy 1.2, which came from a feeling of fulfilment I had after making the original. When I looked at the face — the teeth, the expression, the almost-laughing quality — it gave me this sense of happiness that was not loud or exaggerated. It felt more contained, more internal. That feeling became the starting point for this new edition. The image also carries the influence of African masks, which are often an important visual reference in my work. The structure of the face, the simplified forms and the expression all come from that same visual language. For this edition, I carved the image into a plywood plate before printing it at Studio 46. That was important to me because wood is already central to my practice, so even though the final work is a print on paper, the image still begins with wood. The work was produced using relief printing. Ink is rolled across the raised surface of the plywood plate while the carved lines remain free of ink. When the plate is pressed onto paper, the raised areas transfer the image and the engraved lines appear lighter. I like the way this process changes the original work, reducing it to line, contrast and surface while keeping the expression intact. Working with Studio 46 also allowed me to bring the image into a very different tradition of making. The atelier was founded in 1974 by master printmaker Joan Barbarà and is now continued by Virgil Barbarà. Over the years, the workshop has been associated with major artists including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, Antoni Tàpies, Joseph Beuys, Eduardo Chillida, Manolo Millares, Antonio Saura, Miquel Barceló and Jaume Plensa. For me, The Face of Joy is about holding on to that first feeling from the original work — a quiet, deeply felt happiness — while allowing the image to take on a new life through printmaking. This edition of 25 was created specifically for isee.art and will not be available elsewhere.
Shyne Eghosa (b. 1975) is a Nigerian-born, self-taught artist whose work explores memory and identity through bold, textured compositions. Since beginning to paint in early 2023, he has developed a raw and expressive style rooted in Neo-Expressionism, Art Brut, and a Trans-Cultural approach where African heritage and European diasporic experience collide. Working primarily on wood panels with acrylics, oil sticks, pastels, and fabric, he draws inspiration from traditional African masks and crafts, as well as artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Klee, and Manolo Valdés. Many viewers relate his work to Basquiat, though his palette and forms also reflect the modernist spirit of Barcelona, where he currently lives. His choice of wood as a primary surface is rooted in childhood memories grounding his practice in personal history and an approach that embraces the raw, unrefined nature of the materials themselves. He is the founder of Unmaking Art Studio, a nonprofit space in Barcelona where a diverse group of emerging artists come together to share ideas, create, and exhibit. For him, “unmaking” is not about destruction, it’s about stripping away what no longer fits and giving shape to something more honest. As he puts it: “My art is a conversation between cultures, history, and my personal journey. Each piece is a step forward in discovering who I am.” Though new to the art scene, Shyne's work was selected for the juried Biennale di Chianciano 2024 in Tuscany, Italy. He has also exhibited in various group shows in Barcelona, and currently has work with Tobian Art Gallery in Florence, Italy.
