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Stuart Buchanan Semple (born 12 September 1980) is a multidisciplinary British artist working across painting, sculpture, happenings, technology and activism. He is well known for his sociologically engaged works that often discuss youth politics, accessibility and democracy.Hayes, David (2013

"
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
", October 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.Fairweather, Shona (2007)
Aesthetica Magazine "Stuart Semple 80s Influences & Popular Youth Culture"
" Aesthetica Magazine", October 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2014. Semple's work has strong links with Richard Hamilton's Pop Art, but has a contemporary emphasis on latent fear and threat rather than Hamilton's consumer culture and glamour.Kucharek, Jan-Carlos (2015
"RIBA Journal" "It is the quietest of these artists' contributions on the social impact of regeneration in cities that talk the loudest"
RIBA Journal, 9 March 2015, Retrieved 11 March 2015.


Life and career

Semple was born in
Bournemouth Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, Dorset. He studied Advanced Art and Design at
Bournemouth and Poole College The Bournemouth and Poole College (BPC) is a well established educational provider which delivers further education, higher education and community based courses in Bournemouth and in Poole on the south coast of England. It is one of the ...
, and Painting and Printmaking at
Bretton Hall College Bretton Hall College of Education was a higher education college in West Bretton in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. It opened as a teacher training college in 1949 with awards from the University of Leeds. The college merged with the Univ ...
in
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
. Semple speaks about the inspiration from his grandfather whose memory inspired a jumper Semple designed.Finney, (2012
"Sewing seeds – Artist Stuart Semple on his collaboration with Aubin & Wills"
, " Marylebone Journal", December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2015. Semple's mother also took him to the
National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...
and he described that moment being the main catalyst in becoming an artist when he saw Van Gogh's Sunflowers aged 7.Smith, Dominic (2011)
"Interview: Stuart Semple"
" Soundsphere",16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2015.Agnew Mary (201
"Stuart Semple on How It's Hard to be a Saint in the City"
"ARTINFO China", 17 February 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2015. In 2004, art dealer
Anthony d'Offay Georges Anthony d'Offay (born January 1940) is a British art dealer, collector and curator. His was born to a Seychellois father. Life and career Georges Anthony d'Offay was born in January 1940 in Sheffield to a French father. He began dealin ...
flew his portfolio to New York and persuaded him to move to London.Buck, Louisa (2004)
"Bending The Momart Wreckage"
''
The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
'', September 2004. Retrieved 24 May 2008. A 2007 solo exhibition saw $1 million sales within the first five minutesHoggard, Liz, (2010
"Stuart Semple 'I'm Afraid To Swallow'"
''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'', 28 April 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010. and a recent London exhibition had presales to a Foundation of $1 million.Westall, Mark (2013). , "FAD", October 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2014. In 2010 Semple disclosed in an interview with ''
The Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'' he had had a sudden near death experience in 2000 following an
allergic reaction Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...
. Semple referenced the event in an artwork painted that year; "This is the flatline of my ECG showing where I officially died, my vital signs zeroed completely." Semple identifies the experience as being the catalyst that motivated him to dedicate his life to making art.Jeffreys, Tom (2011
"Mental Health and Art as Therapy – an interview with Stuart Semple"
, " Spoonfed", 6 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011. In 1999 Semple became one of the first artists to utilise the Internet and the potential of digital and created an early online community on
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
who followed drawings he posted up each night. Semple's continual appropriation of digital mediums put him in
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
's Ten Best Art Auctions alongside
Damien Hirst Damien Steven Hirst (; né Brennan; born 7 June 1965) is an English artist, entrepreneur, and art collector. He is one of the Young British Artists (YBAs) who dominated the art scene in the UK during the 1990s. He is reportedly the United Kingd ...
,
Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly c ...
and
Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
.Hazelton, Claire (2013
"The 10 Best Art Auctions"
"The Guardian", 25 May 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2014. In 2012 Semple was the first visual artist to release a body of work on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
called "EXIT" that was commissioned to be a fully digital experience. His desire to create and distribute this series via iTunes was so that it could be directly accessed affordably in every household worldwide which built on his exploration of the internet and accessibility to contemporary art.Hazelton, Claire (2012
"Coffee With Stuart Semple on Fame, Allergies, Charity, Politics and eBay"
" The Overflown", 23 September 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2014Grafling, Friedrich (2013
"POP POP POP- Interview Stuart Semple"
, "NDKS", February 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2014. The digital artwork "The Effect" which was exhibited during the Suspend Disbelief exhibition is viewable and possible to own on
Sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...
. Semple is quoted in ''
The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
'' "
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
is such a direct medium" as a way for artists to share their work in an article about how social media can become a new exhibition space. In 2015, Semple created a new series of 5 browser based artworks as websites and offered each site for sale on eBay to create a way for digital art to be simply viewed, bought and sold using hosting. On the eve of the 2010 general election, the BBC spent the day reporting live from Semple's studio and opening night of his "Happy House" exhibition. The narrative in the collection of works was seen as a prediction and warning of how the country could be affected by the financial situation and policies towards culture.Witherspoon, Jane (2010)
"Artist Stuart Semple: It's actually quite mental"
"
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
", 5 May 2010. Retrieved from news.bbc.co.uk, 15 June 2010.Witherspoon, Jane (2010)
"Stuart Semple collection inspired by 'mental' Britain".
"BBC NEWS", 6 May 2010. Retrieved from news.bbc.co.uk, 1 June 2014. The opening of "Anxiety Generation" in London in 2014 was reported by
Tatler ''Tatler'' is a British magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on fashion and lifestyle, as well as coverage of high society and politics. It is targeted towards the British upper-middle class and upper class, and those interes ...
as "just like being at the Brit Awards in the Nineties".
The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
reported Semple signed with
Next Management NEXT Management is a modeling and talent agency founded in 1989 by Faith Kates and Joel Wilkenfeld. Next is headquartered in New York City with divisions in London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan and Paris. Fashion models Notable models currently r ...
in 2013 alongside working with galleries.Ruiz, Cristina (2013)
"Move over galleries: artists sign with agents – Stuart Semple joins an agency"
''
Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
'', February 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
continue debating the traditional gallery model and discuss how dealers and galleries place Semple works in important collections but also the agents and management that handle copyright and licensing.Harris, Gareth & Shaw, Anny (2014
"What on earth would Leo Castelli have thought?"
''
The Art Newspaper ''The Art Newspaper'' is a monthly print publication, with daily updates online, founded in 1990 and based in London and New York City. It covers news of the visual arts as they are affected by international politics and economics, developments ...
'', 3 December 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015. In January 2012 Semple opened the new North Light Centre for Art and Design at Bournemouth & Poole College and judges a yearly competition of the student's works. Semple has spoken at The ICA, The Institute of Ideas, CultureLabel, Amnesty, Jerwood Visual Arts for his digital activity, and for DACS on digital and copyright topics. in 2005, Semple was the youngest member appointed to the
Design and Artists Copyright Society The Design and Artists Copyright Society is a British private limited company. It is a rights management organisation which collects and distributes royalties to visual artists. It was established in 1983 as the Design and Artists Copyright S ...
creators' council. Semple has featured on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 2009 for ''
Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...
'' and in 2011 and 2014 he presented for the BBC's Art & Design series"Stuart Semple – Introduction"
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, 21 May 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014. where he talks about Inspiration Tools & Tips and Idea to Art. In 2013, Semple created Jump for Australia's
Federation Square Federation Square (colloquially Fed Square) is a venue for arts, culture and public events on the edge of the Melbourne central business district. It covers an area of at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets built above busy ra ...
's public art programme, a 10 x 10m bouncy cloud, and in 2014, Semple represented the British Program for The Night at The Museum festival, releasing thousands of HappyClouds over Moscow. This public art performance has so far also been held in London, Italy, Ireland and Australia. In 2013 Semple received a medal at The House Of Lords for the UN's first
International Day of Happiness The International Day of Happiness is list of minor secular observances#March, celebrated throughout the world on 20 March. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly on 28 June 2012. The International Day of Happiness aims to ma ...
and nominated Marilena Borgna and May Gabriel also as his Happiness Heros and spoke to ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' about the secret to happiness: "My son makes me truly happy... Happiness from real things and from flash things are worlds apart." "My Happy Colouring Flip Book" was published in 2015 as an anti-stress, creative therapy colouring book for adults by Semple and to raise funds for the Mind creative therapies fund.


Philosophy

Semple has sent "Happy Clouds" up into the sky over London initially in direct response to the recession and also in a bid to highlight and spread happiness worldwide, being invited to repeat the artwork in Dublin, Moscow, Australia and Milan. "I know at times like this it's easy to make creativity a low priority, but I want to show on a very human level that an artistic idea might be able to do something important, even for a fleeting moment."Burgess, Kaya (2009)
"Storm clouds give way to smileys over London"
''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'', 25 February 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2009. "I don't see why we couldn't spread the happy clouds around the world a bit."''The Telegraph'' "Stuart Semple Happy Clouds over London"
26 February 2009. Retrieved 1 June 2014. Large scale positive public artworks around this theme of happiness has included "Jump", where Melbourne's Federation Square was transformed into an open air white cloud-like trampoline that invited adults to join in. In 2016 "Something Amazing", was held in 6 cities in England and Scotland, who found giant coloured helium balloon sculptures dotted through streets at sunrise, and encouraged people to take and share screenprinted balloons which featured artwork of his yet to be born nephew. The work was discussed by Matilda Battersby in ''The Independent'' in context artists including
Frida Kahlo Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...
, Tracy Emin and Semple tackling the taboo subject of infertility. Eric Bryant debated Semple and contemporary Pop Art in a seminal
ARTnews ''ARTnews'' is an American visual-arts magazine, based in New York City. It covers art from ancient to contemporary times. ARTnews is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. It has a readership of 180,000 in 124 countri ...
feature 50 years after Richard Hamilton had defined the movement. "While earlier generations of Pop artists exhibited a similar love-hate relationship with consumer culture and glamour, this group takes on fear and violence."Bryant, Eric (2007)
"Paint It Bleak"
''
Art News ''ARTnews'' is an American visual-arts magazine, based in New York City. It covers art from ancient to contemporary times. ARTnews is the oldest and most widely distributed art magazine in the world. It has a readership of 180,000 in 124 countri ...
'', Dec 2007. Retrieved from stuartsemple.com, 6 January 2007. Semple's relationship with current culture, politics and imagery has put him at the forefront of the next generation of debate, where artists now tackle the current climate of fear; "his often disturbing, even sinister works also feature guns, pills, and frequent references to suicide." In being categorised within Pop Art, Aidan Duane debated in
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
how his work brings it up to date.
There is a real intelligence at the heart of his art. On the one hand he clearly embraces the throwaway, famous-for-15-minutes soundbite culture of celebrity and distraction. On the other, he stops it in its tracks, recasting its giddy imagery in the slow, fixed medium of paint. He might seem to celebrate it, but he actually doesn't quite trust the world of mass production and communications. His work implies a conviction that there is, or perhaps there better be, something genuine, something real, beyond the glam facade of throwaway culture.
In Vogue Italia Stuart Semple discusses his critical relationship with Pop culture in a post Warhol society where it has become a universal language but aims to act removed.Clausi, Leonardo (2010
"Commenti al moto contemporaneo"
Vogue Italia ''Vogue Italia'' is the Italian edition of ''Vogue'' magazine. Owned by Condé Nast International, it has been called the top fashion magazine in the world. It's been in publication since 1964. Name ''Vogue Italia'' was first published as ''N ...
, 21 April 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2015. Semple discussed in his ''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' blog the influence of growing up in the 1980s and how that period is vital for our art, seeing "youth culture was a powerful force, bright, seductive and ultimately a lot less hollow". He comments about the rise of the new advertising class that has been replacing our social connections after Thatcherism by "associating products with personal empowerment" which was brought about by "a time of intense atomisation and individualisation to the detriment of community caused a pop cultural language centered around nurturing the ego."Semple, Stuart (2007
"Stuart Semple: The 80s are vital for our art"
''
Guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unite ...
'' 11 October 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2014. Topics of youth apathy were touched upon in 2014's "Anxiety Generation" exhibition where Semple debated that a risk industry keeps our current generation in a passive state of fear and consumption, not having a war or threat of nuclear destruction that our parents faced, but he feels "There is a misconception that the youth are apathetic, that they sit around playing on their Xboxes and are all connected digitally, not with the rest of the living world. I can't think of anything more active than going out and rioting,"McCarthy Alicja (201
"THE SEMPLE LIFE"
We Heart, 4 November 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015. In 2013, Semple talked to Josh Spero about his career and influences as part of The ICA's Culture Now series."Culture Now: Stuart Semple in Conversation with Josh Spero"
Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...
13 November 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2014. In 2007, when interviewed for Trebuchet Magazine, Semple described how his early experience of pop influenced his approach to art "When I was growing up in the 80s these things (cultural icons) were – I don't know if it's quite right to say they were aspirational, but they certainly gave me my first feelings of something larger. But as you get older you get more jaded so now when you look back at these 'nostalgic' things, you have lost something. Here I've tried to look at them again in such as way as to rediscover that sense of feeling" In 2013, the Suspend Disbelief exhibition wanted the public to question their relationship with reality and the way we all, in a multitude of ways, suspend belief to survive; that in order to be fully entertained by a movie or a magic trick or certain kinds of media, you need to pause your belief in it as a fiction; the idea that in order to live at all we need to suspend our disbelief in the fact we are dying."Stuart Semple. Suspend Disbelief"
Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
. September 2013. Semple discusses his practice towards making exhibition like that of a musical recording artist on the BBC and also in a conversation with Indechs
Painting in a way is like a recording of a moment, a live moment, where you were what you did, how you physically moved your body. A music recording is the same. I can think of a series of paintings that go together like an album, that make thematic sense that sit together, that's useful for me. I can get a little phrase, or a hook or a melody in my mind. It's an image idea though and I live with that and churn it over, I might draw it or just remember, then I'll get in the studio and put it down. Sometimes I make a little study, I guess that's like a musicians demo of a song. Then I work them into bigger finished things. Collaging is the same as musical sampling. Layers in a painting are like layers in a mix.
In an interview with Doug McClemont he refers to the mimetic industries of
mass-production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and bat ...
; which has been a running critique in Semple's work. He discussed the "idea of taking the mechanization out the pop stuff. Because I find a lot of it non-emotive." He also alluded more to his studio practice; "I used to paint alone when I had a tiny studio middle of nowhere. It had mice and was freezing. Now I have assistants who help me paint, because I'm doing massive, massive stuff, right now. It's not the same..." In 2014 he discussed his studio routine with The Irish Times explaining how he preferred to be more solitary but market pressures had dictated him to expand his studio.Dunne, Aidan (2014
"Stuart Semple, Cloudy with a chance of artistic smiley faces"
"
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
", 6 January 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014. His studio was documented during BBC filming in 2011 and 2014.Stubbs, Julia (2011
"Stuart Semple studio visit."
May 2011. Retrieved from Juliastubbs.co.uk 27 May 2014. In 2014 the solo exhibition "Anxiety Generation" takes a snap shot of contemporary culture and communication. "My generation is the fulcrum for decades of anxiety and we have been made so inert and fearful that we dare not even face it to understand what it is." Reviewed in Trebuchet "Where previous generations contended with the death of god as a surety, Semple's work contends with information and self in the same way... Semple is suggesting that reality and fantasy are undifferentiated in how society sees and acts. The representational world, the virtual world, is as real as it can get for Westerners trying to make sense of a flickering reality that mirrors through generalities and stereotypes.Elmer, Kailas (201
"STUART SEMPLE : ANXIETY GENERATION"
"
Trebuchet A trebuchet (french: trébuchet) is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weigh ...
", 20 November 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015. Reviewed in Candid Magazine "Here is an artist concerned with the idea of shaking the population out of lethargy and asking the difficult questions like why does it take a war or other major disaster to get us talking to our neighbours and connecting as a community? A sentiment depicted with unflinching bluntness in Technicolour Hiroshima (2014), his use of Morrissey lyrics " ..the bomb that will bring us together" literally spelling out our failing as a community. Semple uses snippets, scenes and headlines from all manner of popular culture to relate to the viewer and draw them into the conversation."


Conflict with Anish Kapoor

Semple came into conflict with the artist
Anish Kapoor Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK ...
when Kapoor purchased exclusive artistic rights to the "world's blackest" material,
Vantablack Vantablack is a brand name for a class of super-black coatings with total hemispherical reflectances (THR) below 1.5% in the visible spectrum. The coatings were invented by Ben Jensen, who first publicly unveiled them in July 2014, and commercia ...
, in 2016. Vantablack is made of microscopic stems of carbon that are 300 times as tall as they are wide, so that 99.6% of all light gets trapped in the network of stems. The material was being developed for scientific and military use because of its masking ability. It has the potential to hide stealth aircraft; and block out stray light reflections inside powerful telescopes, enabling them to see faint astronomical objects. After purchasing the rights to Vantablack in 2016, Kapoor faced a backlash from the artist community. Artist
Christian Furr Christian Furr (born 1966, Heswall, Wirral, England) is an English painter. In 1995 he was commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II. Education Furr was educated at Ladymount Primary School, Heswall and St Anselm's College, Birkenhead. He lat ...
commented that he had "never heard of an artist monopolising a material. All the best artists have had a thing for pure black – Turner, Manet, Goya ... This black is like dynamite in the art world. We should be able to use it. It isn't right that it belongs to one man." Semple positioned himself at the forefront of this backlash when he released PINK – the world's pinkest pink paint – in retaliation. Semple explicitly banned Kapoor from buying the paint, stating that "We all remember kids at school who wouldn't share their colouring pencils, but then they ended up on their own with no friends. It's cool, Anish can have his black. But the rest of us will be playing with the rainbow!" Purchasers of PINK are required to make a legal declaration during the online checkout process, confirming that: "you are not Anish Kapoor, you are in no way affiliated to Anish Kapoor, you are not purchasing this item on behalf of Anish Kapoor or an associate of Anish Kapoor. To the best of your knowledge, information and belief this paint will not make its way into the hands of Anish Kapoor." Kapoor managed to acquire the pigment and on his Instagram account posted a picture showing his
middle finger The middle finger, long finger, second finger, third finger, toll finger or tall man is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is typically the longest digit. In anatomy, it is also called ...
dipped in PINK, with the caption "Up yours #pink." Semple responded by describing Kapoor as "some kind of end-of-game super baddie" who "should be old enough to know better" after Kapoor's Instagram post. Roisin O'Connor writing for ''The Independent'' called it "one of the most spectacular displays of pettiness" ... "these are two grown men fighting over who gets to use the pretty colours." On 3 February 2017 Semple hit back at Kapoor with the release of his own version of Vantablack, dubbed "Better Black". Semple admits that the paint is not perfect, but says it is better because it is affordable and available to everyone.Sharing the worlds flattest,mattest, blackest, art material...
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
Stuart Semple, Published on Feb 7, 2017. "Better Black" comes as a pigment and an acrylic "super-base" which when combined replicates the light-absorbing technology of Vantablack. Black 2.0 followed on 30 March 2017. Since then, Semple's Culture Hustle has released a Black 3.0, and "Diamond Dust", described as the world's "most glittery
glitter Glitter is an assortment of small, reflective particles that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. Glitter particles reflect light at different angles, causing the surface to sparkle or shimmer. Glitter is similar to confetti, sparkle ...
" (equally forbidden to Kapoor).Anish Kapoor Is Now Banned From Buying the World's Most Glittery Glitter
by Kevin Holmes, at ''
Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...
''; published December 20, 2016; retrieved February 25, 2020 In 2022 Semple released a limited edition pigment called ''Incredibly Kleinish Blue'', aiming to "democratise" yet another color, the IKB patented by
Yves Klein Yves Klein (; 28 April 1928 – 6 June 1962) was a French artist and an important figure in post-war European art. He was a leading member of the French artistic movement of Nouveau réalisme founded in 1960 by art critic Pierre Restany. Klein w ...
.


Activism

Semple has supported
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
and has created artworks for the Freedom of Expression Campaign. "There are more artists living in East London than in the whole of Renaissance Italy and we're doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things every day," he pointed out, "but there are other people all over the world who don't have the privilege of being able to say what they think."HIRSCHMILLER, STEPHANIE (2011
"WRITE ON! Artist Stuart Semple does it in a Box(park) for Amnesty International"
Harpers Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...
4 December 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2014. He also spoke for
Amnesty Amnesty (from the Ancient Greek ἀμνηστία, ''amnestia'', "forgetfulness, passing over") is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power offici ...
about positive mental health being a Human Right alongside
Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions. After his early roles in the television series ''M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy ''Risky Busin ...
and
Colm O'Gorman Colm O'Gorman (born 15 July 1966) is the executive director of Amnesty International Ireland. He is founder and former director of One in Four. He is a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, and first came to public attention by speaking out agai ...
during Ireland's "First Fortnight" arts festival. In 2010 Semple spoke for the first time about how his life changed after a near death experience a decade earlier. "Up until that day I was a normal kid, I went to art school, I was like everyone else ... Then I had this awful week when I had a huge allergic reaction, my tongue swelled up so big I could hardly breathe and I found myself in a hospital bed, dying." 2011 Semple was made an Ambassador for mental health charity
Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
. He initiated the Creative Therapies fund within the organisation which he launched with
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
and
Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documenta ...
and curated the exhibition & auction "Mindful" that included works from Jake & Dinos Chapman,
Mat Collishaw Matthew "Mat" Collishaw Hon. FRPS (born 6 January 1966) is an English artist based in London. Collishaw's work uses photography and video. His best known work is ''Bullet Hole'' (1988), which is a closeup photo of what appears to be a bull ...
,
Tracey Emin Tracey Karima Emin, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Associate of the Royal Academy, RA (; born 3 July 1963) is a British artist known for her autobiographical and confessional artwork. Emin produces work in a variety of media including drawi ...
,
Mona Hatoum Mona Hatoum ( ar, منى حاطوم; born 1952) is a British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London. Biography Mona Hatoum was born in 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Palestinian parents. Although born in Lebanon, Hatoum ...
,
Sarah Lucas Sarah Lucas (born 1962) is an English artist. She is part of the generation of Young British Artists who emerged during the 1990s. Her works frequently employ visual puns and bawdy humour by incorporating photography, collage and found objects. ...
and
Sebastian Horsley Sebastian Horsley (born Marcus A. Horsley; 8 August 1962 – 17 June 2010) was an English artist and writer. Horsley's writing often revolved around his dysfunctional family, his flamboyant and eccentric behavior, his drug addictions, sex, and ...
. Semple recently created a whole body of work and short film for a solo booth at London's ART13Khan, Karim (2013)
"THE INTERVIEW: STUART SEMPLE"
''
Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...
'', 28 February 2013. Retrieved from Hunger.tv 10 June 2013. with all proceeds in aid of the Mind Creative Therapies fund For Mind's Time To Change campaign he designed a series of well wishing e-cards and temporary tattoos "My Happy Place" was a citywide exhibition in Coventry that coincided with 2015 World Mental Health Day and saw live events, film, food, art and sculpture initiated and created by Semple with Coventry's The Pod collective. Semple's Happy Place consisted of a Unicorn shaped spinning disco mirror ball. The Creative Therapies fund has backed projects nationwide since 2012 and has stepped in to save some groups where local government funding had been cut. Semple talks about his understanding in a Mind interview "...Often those suffering find it hard to express their feelings with words, but being creative in a proper therapeutic environment with trained therapists is a very powerful path to healing. The results are phenomenal I meet and hear from so many people who literally tell me creative therapy has changed their lives so I'm on a real mission to help people understand that and to spread it as far as I can". Semple was vocal about the Arts Cuts imposed following the recession making an artwork "The First Cut" which was exhibited in Hong Kong as part of "The British Cut" exhibition, showcasing major contemporary artists latest work and pictured the scene from the demonstration. His 2010 exhibition "Happy House" opened on the eve of the General Election and the opening was broadcast live on the BBC with the works addressing fears of a future where creativity is overlooked. Semple spoke in The Guardian "I believe that society and its institutions should be doing much more to encourage young people to follow their dreams – helping them to avoid a future of missed opportunity and regret"Semple, Stuart (2013
"Don't give up on your creative dreams Two thirds of young people abandon their career aspirations by the age of 20, writes Stuart Semple – how can we turn the tide?"
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
, 25 February 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2014. and in
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
"The creative industries are a massive contributing factor to our economy and across all those fields we desperately need new dreamers."Semple, Stuart (2013
"Stuart Semple: Dreams Are Powerful, We Should Be Doing More to Encourage Young People to Follow Them"
"
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
", 27 March 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2014. Semple has appeared on BBC art shows mentoring students, talking about his techniques and inviting them to visit his studio. Semple met with
Vince Cable Sir John Vincent Cable (born 9 May 1943) is a British politician who was Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2017 to 2019. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Twickenham from 1997 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2019. He also served in the Cabinet a ...
to discuss the impact on artists lives with proposed changes to Artists Resale Right so lower priced sales still counted as it make a difference to younger artists, also for the royalty to pass to their children, saying "The art world should be trying to support and nurture subsequent generations of talent." He spoke to the Student Handbook about this "The creative industries count towards a huge proportion of our economy, it's something like 16% which is nearly as much as banking. It's short-sighted of the government to put these cuts in place because as a country we are extremely creative, whether it's advertising, graphic design, film making, fashion; we lead in all these fields". Semple supported MTV Re:Define exhibition at The Goss-Michael Foundation in 2011 with auction proceeds donated to
MTV Staying Alive Staying Alive is an MTV international initiative to encourage HIV prevention, promote safer lifestyle choices and fight the stigma and discrimination that fuels the HIV epidemic. Staying Alive is now the world’s largest HIV mass media awarenes ...
Foundation which enables inspirational youngsters to fight HIV and AIDS in their local communities. He has also supported the Africa Foundation via Art for Africa with Sotheby's, Macmillan De'Longhi Art Auction at Bonhams and the medical foundation
Freedom from Torture Freedom from Torture (previously known as The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture) is a British registered charity which provides therapeutic care for survivors of torture who seek protection in the UK. Since it was established ...
's art auction where he talks to Claire Hazelton "Art is one of the most powerful things we've got. It does really work, beyond fundraising."Hazelton, Claire (2011
Flux Magazine "Freedom from Torture: The Art Auction – Interview with Stuart Semple"
18 November 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2014. In 2011 Semple was featured on postcards for the Anaphylaxis campaign. Semple featured his work "
Nimrod Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...
" in the AKA Peace exhibition curated by Jake Chapman with The ICA in 2012 for
Peace One Day Peace One Day is a non-profit organisation whose objective is to institutionalise the International Day of Peace. It was founded in 1999 by British documentary filmmaker and actor Jeremy Gilley. History In 1999 Jeremy Gilley desired there be ...
. "Deep House Music" was painted for the Articulate exhibition held at
Victoria Miro Gallery The Victoria Miro Gallery is a British contemporary art gallery in London, run by Victoria Miro.Husband, Stuart"Go see... the Victoria Miro gallery ''The Observer'', 3 December 2000. Retrieved 22 April 2008. Miro opened her first gallery in 1985 ...
in 2013 in direct response to moving children's testimony recorded in South Africa and Rwanda, in aid of children's art charity Dramatic Need.


Early career

Semple spoke to David Hayes about his early years "Growing up in the 1990s in Bournemouth I was into indie style – I wore checked trousers and jumpers that were too baggy and had holes in them. Grungy, but in a naff sort of way. The group
Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...
were a big inspiration.
Brian Molko Brian Molko (born 10 December 1972) is a Belgian-born Scottish-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his distinctive nasal, high-pitche ...
was amazing; it was as much about how he looked as what he sang. I used to travel up to
Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury f ...
in London and buy
Hard Candy A hard candy (American English), or boiled sweet (British English), is a sugar candy prepared from one or more sugar-based syrups that is heated to a temperature of 160 °C (320 °F) to make candy. Among the many hard candy varietie ...
nail varnish...I don't think my style is that outrageous but people beep their car horns at me or shout out of the window." Semple mentions his motivation growing up in a small town devoid of culture with just neighbouring extremes of entrepreneurs or rough neighbourhoods and his self-education over three years reading in
Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...
every morning.Lewis, Pete and Parusha (2009
"Money changes everything / Stuart Semple"
" Oh Goodness Greatness", July 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2015. Semple took the persona of "Nancyboy" after his near death experience and produced over 3000 works of art between 1999 and 2003 that were sold via
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
each night at a set time creating an early online community and becoming one of the first artists to utilise the internet in their work.Federico, Cherie (2010
Aesthetica Magazine "Stuart Semple Popular Culture and the Aesthetic Discourse"
" Aesthetica Magazine" 1 April 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2014.Mills, Jack (2012
"STUART SEMPLE: Post Adolescent Idealistic Phase"
"Wonderland Magazine", 14 June 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2014. In 2002 he had his first major London solo exhibition at the A&D Gallery. It was called ''Stolen Language – the art of Nancyboy''. It incorporated fragments and images that he identified with in popular culture and remixed into a personal narrative consisting of large paintings, screen prints, sculptures, T-shirts and panels. 10 final "nancyboys" were created in 2009 and auctioned once again via
eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
with all proceeds donated to the UK charity
Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...
after his grandmother became diagnosed with schizophrenia. The Nancyboy Decade exhibition was organised by the original collectors who exhibited their early drawings and canvases commemorate to the 10 years.
Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...
bought her first Semple painting in 2004, he suggested the same price of $200 she had paid for her first
Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside Al ...
canvas in memory of this. Semple was commissioned to create a memorial with debris collected from the 2004
Momart Momart is a British company specialising in the storage, transportation, and installation of works of art. A major proportion of their business is maintaining often delicate artworks in a secure, climate-controlled environment. The company mainta ...
warehouse fire. Semple packaged them in 8 plastic boxes under the title ''Burn Baby Burn''. The boxes were then painted over and had slogans in pink lettering, including "RIP YBA", which referred to the
Young British Artists The Young British Artists, or YBAs—also referred to as Brit artists and Britart—is a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London in 1988. Many of the YBA artists graduated from the BA Fine Art course at Goldsm ...
, by whom much of the destroyed work had been created. Semple stated that amongst the debris collected there were fragments of
Tracey Emin Tracey Karima Emin, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Associate of the Royal Academy, RA (; born 3 July 1963) is a British artist known for her autobiographical and confessional artwork. Emin produces work in a variety of media including drawi ...
's artwork, ''
Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995 ''Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995'' (1995), also known as ''The Tent'',Brown, p.83. was an artwork by Tracey Emin. The work was a tent with the appliquéd names of, literally, everyone she had ever slept with (not necessarily had se ...
'' ("the tent"). In 2005 Semple produced an exhibition of his works in an abandoned Docklands warehouse in
East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...
, called ''Post Pop Paradise''. Also that year he included a painting into the
Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...
which included the words "British Painting Still Rocks" as reaction to
Charles Saatchi Charles Saatchi (; ar, تشارلز ساعتجي; born 9 June 1943) is an Iraqi-British businessman and the co-founder, with his brother Maurice, of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The brothers led the business – the world's largest a ...
's comments that the
YBA The Young British Artists, or YBAs—also referred to as Brit artists and Britart—is a loose group of visual artists who first began to exhibit together in London in 1988. Many of the YBA artists graduated from the BA Fine Art course at Goldsm ...
artists would be nothing more than a footnote in the history of art. In 2006 Semple's exhibition "Epiphany" at Martin Summers Fine Art in London questioned the role of religion in modern life in a series of in-your-face paintings that alluded to popular culture, graphic media, advertising and social issues.Gleadell, Colin (2006)
"Market news: Mark Rothko, Tyeb Mehta and more..."
''
Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'', 4 April 2006. Retrieved 2 July 2007.


Later works

In 2007 Semple exhibited "Fake Plastic Love", an exhibition of billboard scale paintings housed within a blacked out environment of East London's Truman Brewery. In 2009 he held his first New York solo exhibition "Everlasting Nothing Less" at Anna Kustera Gallery involving large scale paintings and sculpture which also toured London and Milan. Semple's "The Happy House" series of paintings built upon the themes explored in earlier collections of fears about his generation, as well as commentary on the artifice of media obsession, politics and disappointment. For the first time he touched on more personal narratives as well as current cultural and political issues. His self-portrait 'A Pounding Outside Poundland' captured the moment Semple was assaulted.Spero, Josh (2010)
"Stuart Semple, Morton Metropolis"
" he Arts Desk. Retrieved 10 September 2011. He told ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' "I feel I have been analysing popular culture from outside itself by using its own languages". The solo exhibition "It's Hard To Be A Saint In This City" in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
heavily featured text in and on sculptures, exploring poetry and song lyrics of adolescent dreaming and isolation.Cheung, Ysabelle (2012
Time Out "Stuart Semple"
'' Time Out'' 15 February 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2014. Solo exhibition "Suspend Disbelief" (2013) in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
explored ideas of superstition and illusion. Semple created an immersive exploratory environment with film, paintings and sculpture throughout 15 rooms, where magic tricks were performed by holograms, childhood experiences revisited and he questioned the cycle of life and death within a projection dome where hundreds of flowers perpetually bloom in time lapse. "It's like life without any death because they never wilt."Khan, Karim (2015
Hunger "Stuart Semple Suspend Disbelief"
/ref> "Anxiety Generation" (2014) at Delahunty Gallery on
Bruton Street Bruton Street is a street in London's Mayfair district. It runs from Berkeley Square in the south-west to New Bond Street in the north-east, where it continues as Conduit Street. Notable residents have included Field Marshal John Campbell, 2nd ...
was reviewed in Modern Painters by Jonathan R Jones who likened the series to John Carpenter's film "They Live" and referencing Heidegger and Derrida in context of the erasure of text used by Semple "words in his paintings ("too high, too far, too soon," "cool aid," and "Froot Loops") are frequently crossed out, suggesting their inability to convey meaning", and commends the achievement to cut through our cynicism and give images again the power to disturb with his use paint where horror images have been immortalised out of the faster moving social media image world that can see society numb to continual rolling images of war and disaster. "My Sonic Youth" (2015) held in Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles, talks about the cultural shift that teenagers have seen in the decades since Kurt Cobain's death. Speaking to Hunger, Semple is quoted: "I hate to be pessimistic but if I'm honest I feel really worried about it. The gap between rich and poor is going to become colossal. Systems of surveillance and control are going to become even more perverse. Physical spaces and virtual ones will continue to become inverted to a point where more life is lived virtually than physically. The level of online surveillance will increase in proportion to the growing level of fear in the population. Initially, this will look like freedom and this fake freedom will cause a shift in the dominant ideologies. Our value system will change until safety is top of our list and our belief in risk and threat will be unwavering. Atomised, individualistic egoism will grow and continue to be temporarily satisfied by shopping. We will become increasingly distanced from history. Counter-cultural voices within the arts will become commodified faster and faster and therefore e renderedinert. Our self-identity will become more fluid through use of online avatar and selfie-shaping tools and apps. The result of that will be our true physical selves will become more unloved and we'll feel empty. Profits from anti-depressants will rise."Hunger "Art & Culture THE INTERVIEW: STUART SEMPLE"
"Hungertv.com" 12 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.


Curatorial projects

In 2007, Semple co-curated and featured in the 'Black Market' at the Anna Kustera gallery in New York with Just Another Rich Kid. Showcasing their collaborative installation piece 'Team Dream Chaos' depicting a provocative teenage girl's bedroom.McClemont, Doug (2007)
" Doug McClemont on The Black Market at Anna Kustera, New York"
, ''
Saatchi Gallery The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art and an independent charity opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985. Exhibitions which drew upon the collection of Charles Saatchi, starting with US artists and minimalism, moving to the D ...
'', 25 July 2007. Retrieved from saatchi-gallery.co.uk, 12 November 2007. Link updated 1 July 2014 Semple has curated exhibitions "Mash Ups, post pop fragments and détournements" at The Kowalsky Gallery in 2008 for the
Design and Artists Copyright Society The Design and Artists Copyright Society is a British private limited company. It is a rights management organisation which collects and distributes royalties to visual artists. It was established in 1983 as the Design and Artists Copyright S ...
Coghlan, Niamh (2008
Aesthetica Magazine "Pop Art & Mass Culture Curated by Stuart Semple"
" Aesthetica Magazine", 1 August 2008. retrieved 1 July 2014. and 'London Loves The Way Things Fall Apart' (2009) and "This Is England" (2011) for Galleria Aus18, Milan. Semple's exploration of British cultural themes have also been seen in the exhibition "This Is England" (2010) initially held at
The Aubin Gallery Jack Wills is a British clothing brand founded in Salcombe, Devon, in 1999. History Peter Williams and Robert Shaw founded the brand in 1999. Williams was 23 when the first store opened at 22 Fore Street, Salcombe, and it was created with ...
(which he directed in association with Aubin & Wills and
Shoreditch House Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an imp ...
) featuring artists
Sarah Maple Sarah Maple is a British visual artist. She was recognised for her work after being awarded the "New Sensations" prize. Early life and education Maple was born in 1985 to a Kenyan Muslim mother and British father. In 2003, she went through a ...
, Nicky Carvell, David Hancock and Richard Galloway which then toured to Milan. In 2011 Semple curated the Mindful exhibition in 25,000 sqft Old Vic Tunnels featuring artists including
Jake and Dinos Chapman Iakovos "Jake" Chapman (born 1966) and Konstantinos "Dinos" Chapman (born 1962) are British visual artists, often known as the Chapman Brothers. Their subject matter tries to be deliberately shocking, including, in 2008, a series of works that ...
,
Tracey Emin Tracey Karima Emin, Order of the British Empire, CBE, Associate of the Royal Academy, RA (; born 3 July 1963) is a British artist known for her autobiographical and confessional artwork. Emin produces work in a variety of media including drawi ...
,
Mona Hatoum Mona Hatoum ( ar, منى حاطوم; born 1952) is a British-Palestinian multimedia and installation artist who lives in London. Biography Mona Hatoum was born in 1952 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Palestinian parents. Although born in Lebanon, Hatoum ...
,
Mat Collishaw Matthew "Mat" Collishaw Hon. FRPS (born 6 January 1966) is an English artist based in London. Collishaw's work uses photography and video. His best known work is ''Bullet Hole'' (1988), which is a closeup photo of what appears to be a bull ...
,
Sebastian Horsley Sebastian Horsley (born Marcus A. Horsley; 8 August 1962 – 17 June 2010) was an English artist and writer. Horsley's writing often revolved around his dysfunctional family, his flamboyant and eccentric behavior, his drug addictions, sex, and ...
,
Sarah Lucas Sarah Lucas (born 1962) is an English artist. She is part of the generation of Young British Artists who emerged during the 1990s. Her works frequently employ visual puns and bawdy humour by incorporating photography, collage and found objects. ...
,
Barney Bubbles Barney Bubbles (born Colin Fulcher; 30 July 1942 – 14 November 1983) was an English graphic artist whose work encompassed graphic design and music video direction. Bubbles, who also sketched and painted privately, is best known for his distinc ...
,
Liliane Lijn Dr Liliane Lijn D.Litt. (born 1939) is an American-born artist who was the first woman artist to work with kinetic text (''Poem Machines''), exploring both light and text as early as 1962; and in addition, she is in all likelihood the first woman ...
,
Tessa Farmer Tessa Farmer (born 1978, Birmingham, UK) is an artist based in London. Her work, made from insect carcasses, plant roots and other found natural materials, comprises hanging installations depicting Boschian battles between insects and tiny wing ...
and Semple. It coincided with a gala dinner at The Imperial War Museum hosted by
Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
and Lord
Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documenta ...
to raise funds for the Mind creative therapies fund and explore the relationship between creativity and mental health.Jeffreys, Tom (2011)
"Mental Health and Art as Therapy- an Interview with Stuart Semple"
, "Spoonfed.com", 6 September 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2011.


References


External links


Stuart Semple Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Semple, Stuart 1980 births Alumni of Bretton Hall College Living people 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters British pop artists Artists from Bournemouth 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists