Stuart Semple’s drawing, painting and printmaking re-articulates pop cultural elements into a personal universe of fear, isolation and nostalgia. His works balance a fabricated, mechanized perfection with an emotive painterly surface where symbols collide ambiguously. This deliberate indeterminate nature within the work neither celebrates nor criticizes popular culture, remaining autonomous in the recording of visual contemporary reality. Stuart Semple has exhibited worldwide in both solo and group exhibitions and has featured in biennales in Mexico, Liverpool and Sao Paulo. He has also curated group exhibitions internationally.
| 1980 | Born in Bournemouth, England |
| 1997 | School of Art and Design, Poole (Advanced art and design) |
| 2000 | Bretton Hall, Yorkshire (Painting and Printmaking) |
Currently lives and works in London and Dorset |
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
| 2010 | 'The Happy House', Morton Metropolis, London |
| 2009 | 'Lipstick Vogue', The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 'Everlasting Nothing Less', Anna Kustera, New York | |
| 'Born To Run', Terminal Crociere, Bari | |
| 2008 | 'Cult of Denim' Selfridges, London |
| 'Pop Disciple' AUS18 Gallery, Milan | |
| 2007 | 'Fake Plastic Love part I' Truman Brewery, London |
| 'Fake Plastic Love part II' Martin Summers Fine Art, London | |
| 2006 | 'Epiphany' Martin Summers Fine Art, London |
| 2005 | 'Post Pop Paradise' SKIT, London |
| 2002 | 'Stolen Language' The Art of Nancyboy A&D Gallery, London |
| 2000 | 'Nancyboy Paintings' Pause, London |
| 'Nancyboy Paintings' BLU, Bournemouth |
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
| 2010 | 'Kate Brandt Pink', University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee |
| 'Nobody gets to see the Wizard. Not No One Not No How.' Anna Kustera, NYC | |
| 2009 | Scope Art Fair, Miami |
| 'Gold Rush', Roberta Moore Fine Art, London | |
| 'Revert To Type', Opus, Newcastle | |
| Pavilion of Art & Design, London | |
| Art HK09, Hong Kong | |
| Art Car Boot Fair, London | |
| 2008 | Ruby Green Foundation, Nashville |
| ‘Signal 8’ The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| ‘Art Kessaris’ Mykonos, Greece | |
| Next Art Fair, Chicago | |
| Art HK08, Hong Kong | |
| ‘Romance’ Kowalsky Gallery, London | |
| Bergamo Arte Fiera, Bergamo | |
| ‘Urbanity on Paper’ Anna Kustera Gallery, NYC | |
| 2007 | 'Do You Nomi' AUS18 Gallery, Milan |
| Art Miami, Miami | |
| ‘Multiples 1’ Architecture + Design Museum, Los Angeles | |
| Art Car Boot Fair, London | |
| 2006 | 'I'll Be Your Mirror' Primo Alonso Gallery, London |
| Xiclet Gallery, Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo | |
| 'I'll Be Your Mirror' - Independents Biennial, Liverpool | |
| 'Art Salon' 43 South Molton, London | |
| 'Irresistible Paint' A&D Gallery, London | |
| 2005 | 'Art of Love 2005' Oxo Gallery, London |
| 2004 | International ArtExpo, Mexico |
| 2003 | 'Pop Culture' Beatrice Royal, Hampshire |
| Affordable Art Fair, London |
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
| 2009 | 'London Loves the way things fall apart', Galleria Aus18, Milan (curated with Cecilia Antolini) |
| 2008 | 'Mash-Ups - post pop fragments and detournements' Kowalsky Gallery, London |
| 2007 | 'The Black Market' Anna Kustera Gallery, NYC (curated with Ju$t Another Rich Kid) |
| 2001 | ‘Non Compos Mentis’ Adlib Gallery, Wakefield |
SPECIAL PROJECTS
| 2009 | 'Happy Cloud' performance, Piazza della Scala, Milan |
| 'Happy Cloud' performance, Tate Modern Bankside, London | |
| 2008 | 'TOY' Stuart Semple + Moncler, Art Basel- Miami, Aspen, St. Moritz, Milan |
COLLABORATIONS
| 2009 | Moncler |
| The Prodigy | |
| Muse | |
| Umbro | |
| 2008 | Levis, Diesel, 7 for all Mankind & Evisu |
| Subliminal Girls | |
| Selfridges | |
| 2007 | NoiWear |
| Stimuli Magazine (with Ju$t Another Rich Kid) | |
| 2005 | Ju$t Another Rich Kid |
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
| 2010 | 'Stuart Semple' The New Order, Yasmin Bryce |
| 'Pop Matters' Filler, Jennifer Lee | |
| 2009 | 'The New Face of Brit Art' Kee Magazine, Rachel Duffell |
| 'Semple Pleasures' Esquire | |
| 'London Calling' Prim, Kristin Ferrandino | |
| 'An Exhibition on the Implosion of Popular Culture' Aesthetica, Cherie Federico | |
| 'Painting Through A Complex Lens' L'UOMO Vogue, Alan Prada | |
| 'Storm Clouds Give Way to Smileys over London' The Times, Kaya Burges | |
| 'Oltre Il Pop' Urban, Giovanni Cervi | |
| 'Playing With Art and it's Symbols' L'UOMO Vogue, Alan Prada | |
| 2008 | 'Stuart Semple: Keeping the Brit Art Flag Flying ’ Palladium, Catherine Wheatley |
| 'Duck Toy' La Repubblica, Alessandro Retico | |
| '20 Best up-and-coming Artists’ Independent, Alice Jones | |
| 'Does my art look big in this?' The Independent on Sunday, Rachel Shields | |
| ‘Stuart Semple and the Limitless Language of Art’ Zoot, Andrea Probosch | |
| ‘Stuart Semple’ Blag, Sarah J. Edwards | |
| ‘Pop Art & Mass Culture’ Aesthetica, Niamh Coghlanr | |
| ‘Stuart Semple’ Exhibart, Marta Silvi | |
| ‘Giovane Inglese, Pittore New Wave’ Arte, Cristina Campanini | |
| ‘Golden Pop’ Elle Italia, Pia Capelli | |
| ‘Paint It Bleak’ ARTnews, Eric Bryant | |
| 2007 | ‘Stuart Semple’ Zoot, Matt Hussey |
| ‘Stuart Semple; 80s influences & popular youth culture’ Aesthetica, Shona Fairweather | |
| ‘Neopop’ Arte, Pia Capelli | |
| ‘Io Che Mixo Gli Ottanta’ D Magazine, Le Repubblica, Leonora Sartori | |
| ‘Fake Plastic Love’ Financial Times, Peter Aspden | |
| ‘Stuart Semple’ Art of England, Pam Bates | |
| ‘The Black Market’ Saachi Online, Doug McClemont | |
| ‘East End Boy’ Attitude, Caroline Smith | |
| ‘Generation Now’ WGSN.com, Milly Glaister | |
| ‘Semple Things’ Angel Magazine, Mark Kebble | |
| 2006 | ‘Let The Show Begin’ Tatler, Clare Milford Haven |
| ‘Bright Young Thing’ Harpers Bazaar, Francesca Martin | |
| 2005 | ‘Burn Paradiso Burn’ Pig, Giovanni Cervi |
| 2004 | ‘New Art Rises’ Sunday Telegraph, Charlotte Edwardes |
| ‘RIP YBA’ The Art Newspaper, Louisa Buck |
CATALOGUES
| 2009 | 'Born To Run', Bari Terminal Crociere |
| 2008 | 'Pop Disciple', Aus18 Gallery, VanillaEdizioni |
| 2007 | 'Bergamo Arte Fiera', VanillaEdizioni |
| 'Fake Plastic Love', Martin Summers Fine Art | |
| 2006 | 'Epiphany', Martin Summers Fine Art |
PUBLICATIONS
| 2009 | 'Creative Space: Urban Homes of Artists and Innovators', Francesca Gavin, Lawrence King Publishing, UK |
| 2007 | Playground 1, Zach Gold & Julie Ragolia, NYC |
| 2006 | 300% Cotton, Lawrence King Publishing, UK |
OTHER
| 2009 | JackTV - Presenter |
| CoolBrands, Expert council member | |
| 2007 - | Columnist for Art of England magazine |
| 2006 - | Member of DACS creators council (Design and Artists Copyright Society) |
| 2003-04 | Editor and art director of Still Magazine (online journal for contemporary arts & culture) |