Joy Tilley is a North Carolina–based multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores identity, memory, and cultural belonging through portraiture. Inspired by her biracial Indo-Mauritian and white heritage, she creates paintings that examine the complexities of existing between cultures. Through rich symbolism, intricate patterns, and layered materials, her work reflects on family history, cultural inheritance, and the ongoing process of reclaiming identity.

 

Blending Western and South Asian artistic traditions,

Tilley combines oil paint with embroidery to reference

the textile practices of Southern women, while

incorporating India ink and gouache to draw inspiration

from Indo block-printing and Indian miniature painting.

By weaving together these visual languages, she creates

works that honor both sides of her heritage and explore

the space between them.

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Tilley earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from

UNC Asheville, where her thesis, Mourning the "In-Between", investigated the experience of navigating biracial identity through painting.