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

Last Night – Lecture with Culture Haus at Denver Art Museum

Last Night – Lecture with Culture Haus at Denver Art Museum

  Thank you to everyone who came down to the Art Museum last night and listened to my story. A big thank you to the wonderful Katie Kruger for creating a wonderful event and inviting me to visit her beautiful city, and to all the lovely Denver people and...

Thursday 1st September – Something amazing

Thursday 1st September – Something amazing

  On the morning of 1st September Stuart Semple will unveil his latest public art project ‘Something Amazing’ simultaneously across 6 UK cities: Chelmsford: High Street Glasgow: Royal Exchange Square London: Golden Square Nottingham: Bridlesmith Gate Oxford:...

Stuart Semple in the Independent

Stuart Semple in the Independent

Stuart Semple's latest project 'Share Something Amazing' is featured in the Independent, in an article charting the subject of infertility in the history of art. You can read the article here: The Independent Online website

Workshop and Installation at AKQA London

Workshop and Installation at AKQA London

Yesterday I was invited by the Valise Society and Riot Art to present a workshop at AKQA in London as part of their 'Meet the Innovators' series. AKQA is the ideas and innovation company that uses the imaginative application of art and science to create ideas,...

Stuart Semple for Bulgari Paris

Stuart Semple for Bulgari Paris

I was thrilled to paint the front of Bulgari's beautiful store in Paris. You can see what I got up to with them in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7J3Yyz1Mi8 And here's some pics 😉  

Contact the studio:

 

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This