Stuart Semple b.1980

Over the last two decades Stuart Semple has built up a diverse and challenging body of work across multiple disciplines. Thanks to the support of brave collectors, galleries and museums he has enjoyed numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide.

Stuart has a deep belief that art is neither an object nor an activity, but rather an experience that exists in the space between an artist’s intention and the participant.

This duty towards ‘experience making’ affords him the opportunity to play across a variety of devices; from internet performance, code, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, popup stores, public art, happenings, broadcasting, culture jamming, even chemical formulas, paint itself or a good joke. However, it is Painting that has remained a true love and the backbone of Semple’s practice for the last 20 years.

His enduring love for music, poetry and the image-world give him a unique palette in which to weave emotional and critical narratives. These are approachable and understandable, whilst remaining challenging and nuanced beyond their surface. His art is an art for everyone.

Although diverse in it’s presentation, Semple’s body of work orbits around a handful of recurring themes; anxiety, society, cultural history, technology, connection, community and freedom. Ultimately landing with a clear-minded sense of utility, that art itself should have a social function. This is no more evident than in what he refers to as his ’social works’, these being charity funds, awareness raising campaigns, artist support groups and shared studios.

After studying fine art at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Semple’s works have been exhibited at numerous solo and group exhibitions, fairs and biennials and at institutions including The Barbican, ICA London, Goss Michael Foundation, Frieze, Art Basel Miami, Denver Art Museum and The Whitworth. 

He has created large-scale public projects for cities including Melbourne, Dublin, London, Moscow and Manchester. His most ambitious was Happy City (2018) In which he created several large scale public interventions throughout Denver which was documented in the Amazon Prime documentary ‘Mr. Happy’.

Semple has presented for BBC TV and his 2019 ‘Hostile Design’ program for BBC Radio 4 was nominated for a radio academy award. He has written for The Guardian, Huffington Post, Vogue and held a weekly column for Art of England Magazine. His work has been featured in publications including Wired, Financial Times, GQ, Flash Art, ArtForum, Modern Painters, The Art Newspaper, New York Times, Architectural Digest and others. 

Semple regularly speaks on art and mental health and has appeared at Denver Art Museum, Oxford University, Royal College of Art, The Southbank Center, The Whitworth, Frieze London and others.

On the first International Day of Happiness Stuart Semple was honoured by the UN with a Happiness Hero medal in recognition for his “HappyCloud” performance from Tate Modern in London. 

Semple is an ambassador for mental health charity Mind, with whom he initiated the creative therapies fund throughout England and Wales. (stuartsemple.com)