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
| 2012 | ‘Everlasting Nothing Less’ Galleria UNO+UNO, Milan |
| 'It’s Hard to be a Saint in this City’, The Space, Hong Kong | |
| 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
| 2012 | Echoes, Fine Art Society Contemporary, London |
| 2011 | Polemically Small, Charlie Smith, London |
| Mindful, Old Vic Tunnels, London | |
| Re:Define, Goss-Michael Foundation, Dallas | |
| Signal 8, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| Art HK11, Hong Kong | |
| Polemically Small, Torrance Art Museum, California | |
| MOMAC, Gloustershire | |
| 'Desire' Portman Gallery, London | |
| 2010 | The Metal Ball, Museum of Arts and Design, New York |
| Signal 8, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| Art HK10, Hong Kong | |
| '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
| 2011 | 'Mindful', Old Vic Tunnels, London |
| 2010 | 'This Is England', Galleria Uno+Uno, Milan |
| 'Uber Collision: Epic Fail', Idea Generation Gallery, London (co curated by Stuart Semple & Harry Malt) | |
| 'Bazooka- Kiki & Loulou Picasso' Aubin Gallery, London | |
| 'This Is England', Aubin Gallery, London | |
| 2009 | 'London Loves the way things fall apart', Galleria Aus18, Milan (co curated by Stuart Semple & Cecilia Antolini) |
| 2008 | 'Mash-Ups - post pop fragments and detournements' Kowalsky Gallery, London |
| 2007 | 'The Black Market' Anna Kustera Gallery, NYC (co curated by Stuart Semple & Ju$t Another Rich Kid) |
| 2001 | ‘Non Compos Mentis’ Adlib Gallery, Wakefield |
SPECIAL PROJECTS
| 2011 | Art for Amnesty, (WOZA + Write for Rights), BOXPARK, London |
| Moncler Austria,Tokyo, New York | |
| Semple x Pizza Express x International Finance Centre, Hong Kong | |
| 2010 | ‘FORM’ Ambassadors of Design, Hong Kong |
| 2009 | 'Happy Cloud' performance, Piazza della Scala, Milan |
| 'Happy Cloud' performance, Tate Modern Bankside, London | |
| 2008 | 'TOY' Stuart Semple + Moncler, Art Basel- Miami, Aspen, St. Moritz, Milan |
COLLABORATIONS
| 2011 | Smeg |
| Aubin & Wills | |
| Amnesty International | |
| 2010 | The Futureheads |
| West East Magazine | |
| Lady Gaga | |
| 2009 | Moncler |
| The Prodigy | |
| Muse | |
| Umbro | |
| 2008 | Levis, Diesel, 7 for all Mankind & Evisu |
| Subliminal Girls | |
| Selfridges | |
| 2007 | NoiWear |
| Stimuli Magazine (with Ju$t Another Rich Kid) | |
| 2005 | Ju$t Another Rich Kid |
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
| 2011 | 'Stuart estranged' Time Out Hong Kong, Ysabelle Cheung |
| ‘Stuart Semple on how it’s Hard to be a Saint in this City,’ Mary Agnew, ARTINFO | |
| ‘Stuart Semple’, Leanne Mirandilla, HK Magazine | |
| ‘Write On!’ Stephanie Hirschmiller, HarpersBazar.com | |
| ‘Future Girl’ Roxane Mesquida x Stuart Semple, Filler | |
| 2010 | Lady Gaga x Stuart Semple : Pop Hybrid', WestEast Magazine |
| 'Semple collection inspired by mental Britain', BBC News, Jane Witherspoon | |
| 'I'm Afraid To Swallow', The Evening Standard, Liz Hoggard | |
| 'Stuart Semple, Morton Metropolis', The Arts Desk, Josh Spero | |
| 'Popular Culture and the Aesthetic Discourse', Aesthetica, Cherie Federico | |
| 'Commenti al moto contemporaneo', Italian Vogue, Leonardo Clausi | |
| 'Semple Pleasures', Live City & Islington, Mark Kebble | |
| '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
| 2011 | Mindful, Old Vic Tunnels |
| 2011 | Re:Define, Goss-Michael Foundation |
| 2010 | The Happy House, Morton Metropolis |
| 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
| 2011 | ‘Psychonauts, Sailors Of The Psyche’, Beautiful/Decay Book, USA |
| 2010 | The Joyce Handbook, first edition, HK |
| 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
| 2011- | Presenter, BBC Bitesize Art |
| 2010- | Curator, The Aubin Gallery |
| 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) |