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. Semple’s sincerity and willingness for sublimation within his work has placed him as one of the leading exponents within a new generation of British painters.
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
2009
'Everlasting Nothing Less', Anna Kustera, New York
'Born To Run', Terminal Crociere, Bari
2008
'Forever' Flawless Gallery, London
'Cult of Denim' Selfridges, London
'Pop Disciple' AUS18 Gallery, Milan
2007
'Fake Plastic Love part 1' Truman Brewery, London
'Fake Plastic Love part 2' 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
2008
Ruby Green Foundation, Nashville
‘Signal 8’ The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong
‘Art Kessaris’ Mykonos, Greece
‘Romance’ Kowalsky Gallery, London
‘Urbanity on Paper’ Anna Kustera Gallery, NYC
2007 'Do You Nomi' AUS18 Gallery, Milan
‘Multiples 1’ Architecture + Design Museum, Los Angeles
2006
'I'll Be Your Mirror' Primo Alonso Gallery, London
Xiclet Gallery, Sao Paulo Biennial, Brazil
'I'll Be Your Mirror' - Independents Biennial, Liverpool
'Art Salon' 43 South Molton, London
2005
'Irresistible Paint' A&D Gallery, London
'Art of Love 2005' Oxo Gallery, London
2004
International ArtExpo, Mexico
2003
'Pop Culture' Beatrice Royal, Hampshire
Curatorial Projects
2009
'London Loves the way things fall apart', Galleria Aus18, Milan (curated with Cecilia Antolini)
2007
'Mash-Ups - post pop fragments and detournements' Kowalsky Gallery, London
'The Black Market' Anna Kustera Gallery, NYC (curated with Ju$t Another Rich Kid)
2001
‘Non Compos Mentis’ Adlib Gallery, Wakefield
Special Projects
2009
'Happy Cloud' installation, Piazza della Scala, Milan
'Happy Cloud' installation, Tate Modern, Bankside, London
2008
'TOY' Stuart Semple + Moncler, Art Basel- Miami, Aspen, St. Moritz, Milan
Collaborations
2009
Moncler
2008
Levis, Diesel, 7 for all Mankind, Evisu, Subliminal Girls, Selfridges
2007
NoiWear, Stimuli Magazine (with Ju$t Another Rich Kid)
2005
Ju$t Another Rich Kid
Selected Bibliography
2009
'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
2008
Art Director, Worldwide Aid Recordings
2007
Columnist for Art of England magazine
2006
Member of DACS creators council (design and artists copyright society)
2003/2004
Editor and art director of Still Magazine (online journal for contemporary arts & culture)
