To cut through our cyncism and give images again the power to disturb is quite a feat; that Semple manages it via the medium of paint is even more impressive. His approach is summed up by the famous line from They Live: “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass… and I’m all out of bubblegum”

– Jonathan R Jones, Modern Painters

In the show’s centerpiece, A Love Song’s Not Enough, made of acrylic and spray paint on canvas, and spanning six-by-ten feet, a boxer slumps with half-closed Byzantine eyes in a tumble of marble-pale skin, haunting a divided picture plane of greys and distressed rainbows above acres of gestural abstraction, like cake frosting marshland.

– Shana Nys Dambrot 

 

You can see elements of this journey through the exhibition; the terror and power of the medical environment; the boundless curiosity and humour that drives his practice; the dark places visited enroute and the generosity of an artist whose work challenges walls, encourages dialogue and continues to laugh in the face of death.

– Lee Cavaliere

 In Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker (2013) for example, the journey across Moonriver in the song of the same name is illustrated at its close, where the Huckleberry friend has come to the end of the rainbow – a place where hope and treasure are expected – to find just an amusement arcade instead called ‘Rainbow’s End.’

– Clare Hazelton

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Stuart Semple is a multidisciplinary British artist whose practice spans painting, performance, internet art, and installation. His works adopt a sociological lens to explore themes of youth politics, mass culture, image, technology, and anxiety. Often activist in nature, his broader projects frequently strive for fairness, equality, and access, particularly within the arts.

Semple has enjoyed numerous solo exhibitions worldwide and has presented projects at international institutions, including the Denver Art Museum, The Whitworth, Barbican, Hong Kong Arts Center, and Dulwich Picture Gallery. He is the author of “Make Art or Die Trying,” published by Quarto. Semple regularly speaks on art and mental health, with appearances at Oxford University, The Southbank Centre, Frieze, RCA, and the ICA

+ View more

Selected works:

Selected works:

More:

Recent exhibitions, commissions, publications and press

New Daily Doodles from 99p

New Daily Doodles from 99p

  On the first day of 2013 Stuart decided to set himself a little challenge to make a small drawing every day for a year in his studio and share it online. He thought it would make sense to pop them back...

The Cloud – exhibition now on at De Meerse, Netherlands

The Cloud – exhibition now on at De Meerse, Netherlands

    The Cloud conceived by piet Janke Fokkema compiled by piet Janke Fokkema and Ellen Witsen Elias. artists include: piet Janke Fokkema, Berndnaut Smilde, Danielle Lemaire, Conny Kuijl Boer, Loes Groothuis, Dietrich Wegner, Fennanda Eleveld, Marinus van...

Something Special Auction & Exhibition March 14

Something Special Auction & Exhibition March 14

[slideshow] [/slideshow] DAYDREAM BELIEVER Paint marker on used paintbrush 25 x 8 cm Stuart Semple 2012 Created for Something Special art exhibition and auction Blackall Studios, Leonard Street Shoreditch, EC2A 4QS March 14 2013 open to the public from 10.00 - 400pm...

Stuart Semple “Huntfield” Cardigan for Aubin & Wills

Stuart Semple “Huntfield” Cardigan for Aubin & Wills

HUNTFIELD Stuart Semple x Aubin & Wills Merino wool Edition of 100 2012 Stuart Semple has collaborated with the eccentric British clothing brand Aubin & Wills to design the ultimate Christmas cardigan inspired by his late grandfather who encouraged his...

PETALS 100 – Stuart Semple for Officers feat. Gary Numan

PETALS 100 – Stuart Semple for Officers feat. Gary Numan

PETALS 100 (Stuart Semple for Officers feat. Gary Numan) Spraypaint on customized 7” EP Sleeves  click image below to interact (each contains… Hand stamped DVD with exclusive behind the scenes footage of Officers X Numan Video shoot, Broadcast and uncensored versions...

MUSE Magazine: behind the scenes of Stuart Semple and Moncler

MUSE Magazine: behind the scenes of Stuart Semple and Moncler

  Stuart Semple's ongoing collaboration with Moncler is featured in MUSE Culture Club issue for Winter 2012 with an in depth interview and behind the scenes studio photographs. Click images below to read larger version. English text follows Italian further down....

STUART SEMPLE X OFFICERS free Halloween collection

STUART SEMPLE X OFFICERS free Halloween collection

  Stuart has been working with the band Officers on a super special Halloween bucket of goodies...   FREE download includes: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO ART NEW TRACK BY THE BAND DAY OF THE DEAD MASK GIANT POSTER TRICK OR TREAT DOOR...

Contact the studio:

 

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This