Joey Holder on eel mysteries, digital hellscapes, and Nottingham's creative community

Joey Holder's video works, Semelparous (2019) and Abyssal Seeker (2021), delve into the unobserved 3,000-mile migration of the European eel to the Sargasso Sea. These installations are currently on display at the British Art Show 9 in Aberdeen Art Gallery until October 10. Her earlier work, Adcredo – The Deep Belief Network (2018), reflects the divisive nature of social media, featuring figures such as Kanye West, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Pepe the Frog within a digital inferno. Holder is modifying Abyssal Seeker for the 34th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts (September 10–November 21) and plans to showcase it at the Biennale of Sydney next year. After seven years in Nottingham, she established Chaos Magic, an artist-led space for workshops and peer support, including a 2019 Ghost Camp in Sherwood Forest. In 2020, she co-founded SPUR, a virtual residency initiative with Omsk Social Club in Berlin, aimed at breaking down artistic ego through role-playing; SPUR 2.0 is currently being developed with FACT in Liverpool and Arebyte in London. Holder earned her fine art degree from Goldsmiths, University of London, graduating in 2010, and has a studio at BACKLIT Gallery in Nottingham.