Bristol Cathedral has announced that Joseph Ijoyemi has been selected to create a major new permanent artwork responding to the Colston window at the back of the building. The commission marks a significant step in the Cathedral’s continuing work to engage openly with its history and to reflect the diversity of the city it serves.
The Cathedral consulted the public regarding how to engage with the 1880s window and the majority of respondents favoured acknowledging this part of the city's history instead of removing it.
Speaking about the consultation, The Very Revd Dr Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol, said: “Most people said removing the Cathedral window would be "denying the truth of how things were in the past" and instead called for the Cathedral to "tell the truth about who Colston was but not pretend he didn't exist".
She added "The outcome was the proposal to commission a new artwork to be in dialogue with Colston and with the Colston Window, an artwork that would speak about repentance, but would also speak about reconciliation and liberation and hope.”
Titled ‘Let There Be Light’, the artwork will honour the resilience, cultural richness and contributions of African and African-Caribbean communities in Bristol, reflecting the Cathedral’s commitment to truth, justice and remembrance.
The contemporary stained-glass work is designed to transform as daylight moves through the Cathedral. Combining abstract and figurative elements, it reflects history, resilience and hope, and incorporates African and African-Caribbean patterns and symbols that give visibility to previously marginalised voices.
"[There is also] a very powerful symbol of liberation in a sequence of black figures rising to the heavens," Dean Mandy Ford said.
She added that the commissioning group "really loved that sense of life and colour and excitement and hope" in Ijoyemi's design.
Public feedback highlighted the impact of the proposal, describing the work as “powerful, brave, bold, unapologetic,” “poetic,” and embodying “light, joy and strength.”
Ijoyemi is a Swedish-Nigerian artist based in London and his work explores heritage, migration, identity and social history. A Central Saint Martins MA Fine Art graduate, he has received the Helen Scott Lidgett Award, been shortlisted for the Evening Standard Prize, and exhibited in New Contemporaries 2023.
Ijoyemi said: “I am honoured to be selected and to be part of this huge project. Working with the Cathedral, local communities and the stained-glass team makes this project feel rooted.
As an artist, Let There Be Light brings together my faith and my practice. It is about shining light on Black history in Bristol, holding space for truth and reflection, and thinking about how we move forward with care for future generations.”
Through Let There Be Light, Joseph brings his distinctive vision to Bristol Cathedral, merging craft, contemporary art, and social memory in a project designed to resonate for generations.