James Joyce Stop, You're Killing Me (Pink), 2023

In Stop, You’re Killing Me (Pink), British artist James Joyce distills emotion into pure form through his signature language of bold abstraction. Against a soft pink circular field, geometric shapes—a sweeping white arc, bright red and blue circles, and intersecting black lines—come together to suggest both playfulness and tension. The composition evokes the stylised face of a smile or laugh, yet the title introduces irony, subverting the cheerful palette with a touch of dark humour.

Joyce’s graphic precision and refined use of colour reflect his background in design and his ongoing exploration of how minimal forms can express complex human feeling. Stop, You’re Killing Me (Pink) exemplifies his ability to transform simple shapes into emotive symbols, creating a work that is at once witty, minimal, and deeply contemporary.