ROBERTSON, Joanne
Not Quite Good Enough to be on TV Harmonies

“That’s the thing about music and abstract painting […] There isn’t an image that’s fixed and I’m really interested in that. There were times when the narrative of my songs felt much more inspired by my paintings, and maybe my paintings inspired some of the songs, but now they’re really in harmony together.”
–Joanne Robertson (Paper Magazine)

Not Quite Good Enough to be on TV Harmonies is Robertson’s ode to the form of the guitar: a suite of new drawings rendered in oil pastel, and directly connected to her new large scale paintings. In the artist’s words: “Living around guitars means they are often just sat in your peripheral vision, curving, almost bent over in the corner of a room.” The work’s range is a testament to the instrument’s potential – its relation to the body, performance and experimentation, and its position as an object of intimacy and expression. The cover of the book features the original lyrics to Blue Car, from the 2023 album of the same name.

Joanne Robertson is a musician, painter and poet. She collaborates regularly with her friends, including Sidsel Meineche Hansen, Dean Blunt, Byron Coley and Jasper Baydala (Kool Music). Her painting and music both form from improvisatory moments of expression. Robertson is based in Glasgow and is represented by Édouard Montassut, Paris and Company, New York. [publishers’ note]

Published by 5b, 2025
Artists' Books / Music & Sound