Journal of Emptiness Blends Surreal Imagery With Prose Fragments on Grief and Memory
Visual artist JOEM, known as the Journal of Emptiness, crafts ethereal narratives through his surreal imagery, resembling fragments of an incomplete tale. His artwork features ghostly figures, obscured faces, and animals in whimsical environments, where memory manifests as inescapable spaces. Central themes encompass loss, solitude, identity, longing, and mental entrapment. Rather than clear-cut narratives, JOEM enhances his visuals with brief prose, enriching the storytelling. Noteworthy quotes from his work include reflections on the inevitability of one's journey and the duality of mist. In September 2026, his collection gained recognition on Design You Trust, highlighting his unique artistic vision.
Key facts
- Journal of Emptiness is a visual artist known by the abbreviation JOEM
- JOEM's images are conceived as pages from an unfinished novel
- Recurring motifs include anonymous figures dissolving into mist, roots overtaking faces, and animals in impossible landscapes
- The work centers on grief, loneliness, memory, identity, longing, and entrapment in one's own thoughts
- Captions are short prose pieces rather than explanations, adding a second narrative layer
- Quoted captions include "No one remembered where they were heading, only that turning back was impossible"
- Another quoted line reads "the mist rolled over the wall, tender and cruel"
- The project was featured on Design You Trust in September 2026
Entities
Artists
- Journal of Emptiness
Institutions
- Design You Trust