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.[1][2] 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.[3]
Semple was born in Bournemouth, Dorset. He studied Advanced Art and Design at Bournemouth and Poole College, and Painting and Printmaking at Bretton Hall College[1][4] in Yorkshire. Semple speaks about the inspiration from his grandfather whose memory inspired a jumper Semple designed.[5] Semple's mother also took him to the National Gallery and he described that moment being the main catalyst in becoming an artist when he saw Van Gogh's Sunflowers aged 7.[6][7]
In 2004, art dealer Anthony d'Offay flew his portfolio to New York and persuaded him to move to London.[8] A 2007 solo exhibition saw $1 million sales within the first five minutes[9] and a recent London exhibition had presales to a Foundation of $1 million.[10]
In 2010, Semple disclosed in an interview with The Evening Standard that he had had a sudden near death experience in 2000 following an allergic reaction. 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."[9] Semple identifies the experience as being the catalyst that motivated him to dedicate his life to making art.[11][12]
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 who followed drawings he posted up each night.[13][14] Semple's continual appropriation of digital mediums put him in The Guardian's Ten Best Art Auctions alongside Damien Hirst, Ai Weiwei and Edvard Munch.[15]
In 2012, Semple was the first visual artist to release a body of work on iTunes called "EXIT"[16] that was commissioned to be a fully digital experience.[17] 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.[18][19][20][21] The digital artwork "The Effect" which was exhibited during the Suspend Disbelief exhibition is viewable and possible to own on Sedition.[22]