Stuart Semple is a British artist and activist who works with sculpture and painting.[1][2]
Life and career
Semple was born in Bournemouth, Dorset. He studied art and design at Bournemouth and Poole College, and painting and printmaking at Bretton Hall College in Yorkshire.[1][3] He first wanted to become an artist after his mother took him to see Van Gogh's Sunflowers at the age of 7.[4][5] In 2000, after a life-threatening allergic reaction, he decided to pursue a career as an artist.[6][7] He later referenced the electrocardiography flatline he experienced in a 2010 painting.[8]
In 2002 he had his first major London solo exhibition, "Stolen Language – the art of Nancyboy", at the A&D Gallery.[9][10] In 2009, he auctioned off Nancyboy-themed artworks to raise funds for the UK charity Mind, after his grandmother was diagnosed with schizophrenia.[11][12] After the 2004 Momart warehouse fire, he was commissioned to create a memorial with the debris, titled Burn Baby Burn.[13][14] In 2005, Semple produced an exhibition in East London, titled Post Pop Paradise. Also that year he placed a painting he created at the Saatchi Gallery, avoiding security in doing so, as a protest against comments Charles Saatchi made.[15][16][17][18]
In 2006 Semple's exhibition "Epiphany" at Martin Summers Fine Art in London questioned the role of religion in modern life[19] in a series of in-your-face paintings that alluded to popular culture, graphic media, advertising and social issues.[20]
Semple began posting drawings he created on eBay in 1999.[21][22] In 2012, he published an extended play on iTunes featuring paintings and a short film.[23][24] In 2013, he created Jump, a 10 by 10m bouncy cloud trampoline, for Australia's Federation Square's public art programme.[25] In 2014, his exhibition "Anxiety Generation" was featured in Tatler magazine.[26] That same year, he joined talent agency Next Management.[27] He has also been featured on the BBC,[28][29][30] and has spoken at the Institute of Contemporary Arts[24][31] and Amnesty International.[32]
In 2004, art dealer Anthony d'Offay flew Semple's portfolio to be shown in New York City.[13] A 2007 solo exhibition saw $1 million sales within the first five minutes.[8] In 2013, a London exhibition had presales to a charitable foundation of $1 million.[33] That same year, he was featured in The Guardian's list of Ten Best Art Auctions.[34] In 2015, he created a colouring book for adults to raise funds for Mind.[35]
Stuart Semple, HappyClouds
Business ventures
In 2016, Semple came into conflict with the artist Anish Kapoor when Kapoor purchased exclusive artistic rights to the super-black material Vantablack.[36] He released a paint titled "PINK – the world's pinkest pink paint", banning Kapoor from purchasing the paint.[37][38] In June 2024, Semple officially changed his name to Anish Kapoor.[39]
In 2021, Semple released a pigment called TIFF Blue, aiming to "democratise" Tiffany Blue, a shade of blue trademarked by Tiffany & Co.[40] The same year, he also released a pigment called Incredibly Kleinish Blue with a similar intention of democratising International Klein Blue, which is patented by Yves Klein.[41][42] In 2023, Semple released a pigment called Pinkie, aiming to democratise Barbie Pink.[43][44]
FREETONE colours swatch
Freetone (or Sempletone) is an Adobe plugin, created by Semple in 2022 in response to the licensing fallout between Pantone and Adobe Inc.[45][46] Freetone is a collection of 1,280 colours that mimic the Pantone colour palette with a similar set of number codes.[47][48] Semple barred any employees and associates of Adobe or Pantone from buying, using or downloading Freetone.[48][49]
Activism
Semple has supported Amnesty International and has created artworks for the Freedom of Expression Campaign.[50]
Stuart Semple A POUNDING OUTSIDE POUNDLAND (or how my nose got its wonk) 2010
In 2007, Semple co-curated and featured in the 'Black Market' at the Anna Kustera gallery in New York with Just Another Rich Kid.[78] Semple curated exhibitions "Mash Ups, post pop fragments and détournements" at The Kowalsky Gallery in 2008 for the Design and Artists Copyright Society[79][80] and 'London Loves The Way Things Fall Apart' (2009) and "This Is England" (2011) for Galleria Aus18, Milan.[81]
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