Michael Stubbs uses a process of visual layering within his paintings by placing fragments of one image on top of another, recognising how painting as a language is an unstable and frequently growing palimpsest of past positions. Stubbs builds his paintings through a dynamic coming together of bold slabs of household paint, and softer stains and pools of tinted floor varnish. He carefully orchestrates this painterly vocabulary to hint at, and interconnect with, both art historical precedents and the ever-present and encroaching digital and photographic vocabularies. Through their use of specific symbols, and in their crispness, Stubbs’s paintings allude, in part, to a flat, mediated world of changing layers and digital surfaces. However, these paintings also celebrate an opposing position, a much more raw and haphazard materiality. Perhaps this is most visible in his recent, seamless incorporation of photographic images, pictures of tubs of household paint and varnish, which show the artist’s own working materials and processes. (Daniel Sturgis).
* catalogue + curator/co-curator
Selected Biography:
| 2020-Present | 0.6 Reader in Contemporary Painting, (BA/PhD) Glasgow School of Art/Glasgow University, UK |
| 2015-20 | 0.6 Lecturer, Fine Art – Painting and Printmaking, (BA/PhD) Glasgow School of Art, UK |
| 2014-16 | 0.1 Associate Dissertation Lecturer, (BA) Camberwell, University of the Arts London, UK |
| 2010-18 | 0.2 Associate Lecturer, Fine Art, (BA) Sir John Cass School of Art & Architecture, London Metropolitan University, UK |
| 2002-04 | 0.72 Associate Lecturer, Fine Art – Painting, (BA/MA) Bath Spa University, UK |
| 1999-03 | 0.2 PhD Bursary Lecturer, Fine Art/Curating, (BA/MA) Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| 1991-12 | Regular Visiting Lecturer, Fine Art, (BA/MA) Bath Spa University, UK; (MA) Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK; (BA) Kent University, Canterbury, UK; (BA/MA) Byam Shaw School of Art, London, UK; (MA) Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| 1961 | Born, Rustington, UK. Lives and works in London and Suffolk |
Education: |
|
| 1999-03 | PhD Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| 1988-90 | MA Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| 1984-87 | BA(Hons) Fine Art, Bath Academy of Art, UK |
| 1978-79 | Foundation Course, West Sussex College of Art and Design, Worthing, UK |
Solo Exhibitions:
| 2024 | Michael Stubbs, Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK |
| 2023 | studioshowflow, Crownlands Studio (curated by Glenn Brown), Sizewell, Suffolk, UK |
| 2021 | Three Paintings, Palfrey Space, London, UK |
| 2020 | Small Scale Works, Reid Building Corridor, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK |
| 2017 | Michael Stubbs, Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK |
| 2015 | Fireeye Shift, From Counsel (with Laurent Delaye Arts Projects), Bloomsbury, London, UK Michael Stubbs, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany |
| 2014 | Michael Stubbs, The Avenue (with Adam Gahlin Fine Art), Mayfair, London, UK |
| 2013 | Paintings/Prints/Drawings/Collages, Sir John Cass School of Art & Architecture Gallery, London Metropolitan University, London, UK |
| 2011 | Fireeye Meltdown, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK |
| 2010 | Michael Stubbs, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK * |
| 2009 | Virus Prints, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK Virus Drawings, Rod Barton Gallery, London, UK |
| 2007 | Michael Stubbs, Baro Cruz Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil Michael Stubbs, Foyer Gallery, Space Studios, London, UK |
| 2006 | Michael Stubbs, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Michael Stubbs, Street Gallery, GlaxoSmithKline, London, UK |
| 2005 | Michael Stubbs, Marella Contemporary Art, Milan, Italy |
| 2003 | PhD Exhibition, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| 2002 | Michael Stubbs, Entwistle Gallery, London, UK |
| 1999 | Michael Stubbs, Jerwood Gallery Project Space, London, UK Michael Stubbs, Park Restaurant, Queens Park, London, UK |
| 1998 | Michael Stubbs, Duncan Cargill Gallery, London, UK |
| 1997 | Michael Stubbs, Concourse Gallery, Byam Shaw School of Art, London, UK |
| 1996 | Michael Stubbs, Lotta Hammer Gallery, London, UK |
| 1995 | 2 by 1, Curtain Road Arts, London, UK |
| 1993 | Michael Stubbs, Bipasha Ghosh, London, UK |
| 1991 | Michael Stubbs, Nicola Jacobs Gallery, London, UK |
Selected Group Exhibitions:
| 2024 | Spotlight 4: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection of Chippenham Museum, Chippenham Museum and Art Galleries, UK * For Folk Sake, The Cut Gallery, Halesworth, UK The Art of Music: Artists and Benjamin Britten, Aldeburgh Beach Lookout, Aldeburgh, UK Extempore 24, Tension Fine Art, London, UK |
| 2023 | Ghosts in the Machine, Tension Fine Art, London, UK + Pacific Breeze III, White Conduit Projects, London, UK Dirty Synth, The Bear Presents, Camberwell, London, UK * Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK Rose Garden, Terrace Gallery, London, UK Group Show, Laurent Delaye Gallery, Ramsgate, UK |
| 2022 | High on Hope: Gerard Hemsworth Memorial Exhibition, Cross Lane Projects, Kendal, UK * Host & Guest/Nick Stewart and Friends, Palfrey Space, London, UK Signifiance: Painting Beyond Borders, Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK; Coleman Projects, London, UK + |
| 2021 | It's a Wrap, Laurent Delaye Gallery, Ramsgate, UK Pacific Breeze II, White Conduits Projects, London, UK Trans_Formations, Laurent Delaye Gallery, Ramsgate, UK Shock of the Lock, Aldeburgh Beach Lookout Gallery, Aldeburgh, UK |
| 2020 | Winter Salon, Laurent Delaye Gallery, Ramsgate, UK Sharing a View: Contemporary Art from Glasgow, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, China; Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China * Bath Schools of Art & Design Alumni Show, Lockswood Gallery, Bath Spa University, Bath, UK Along Those Lines, House of St. Barnabas, London, UK |
| 2019 | Dark Lantern, Sabine Knust Gallery, Munich, Germany Current Display: Works from the Collection, LAM – Lisse Art Museum, Lisse, Holland Painting at the Cass, Atrium Space, Sir John Cass School of Art & Architecture, London Metropolitan University, London, UK |
| 2018 | Not Dream of Islands, Palfrey Space, London, UK Fully Awake: Teaching Painting 3:5, Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art, London, UK * Superimposition, Partners & Mucciaccia Gallery, London, UK + * Malevolent Eldritch Shreiking, Attercliffe™, Sheffield, UK Destroyed by Shadows, Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK + |
| 2017 | Collateral Drawing Archive, Brewery Tap Project Space, University for the Creative Arts, Folkestone Triennial, UK * The Colour Suggestion: Between Abstraction and Figuration, Oscar Cruz Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil Unnatural Vibers, Unit 3, ASC Empson Street Studios, London, UK + Show Us Your Process, House of St. Barnabas, London, UK * Print, Print, Print, Reid Building Corridor, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK |
| 2016 | Works on Paper, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Generate/Alternate: John Bunker & Michael Stubbs, Unit 3, ASC Empson Street Studios, London, UK Collateral Drawing Part IV, Waterfront Gallery, University of Ipswich, UK |
| 2015 | Back to the Future: 20 Years Galerie Hollenbach, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Works from the Collection, British Council, New Delhi, India * Talking With Deptford, Deptford X, London, UK Autocatalytic Future Games, No Format Gallery, London, UK |
| 2014 | When Elephants Come Marching In: Sixties Echoes in Todays Art, De Appel, Amsterdam, Holland * Bad Copy: Museums at Night, Story Museum, Cardiff, UK Collateral Drawing, College of Art, Plymouth, UK |
| 2013 | Art Britannia – The Best of New British, Madonna Building, Miami, USA Postcards from the Studio, Acme Project Space, London, UK Core Purpose, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK Summer Saloon Show, Lion & Lamb Gallery, London, UK Drawing the Line, Artkapsule Editions @ Koleksiyon Showrooms, London, UK Dirty Pop: Contemporary British Painting, & Model Gallery, Leeds, UK The Poster Show, Mayors Parlour, Plus Art Projects, London, UK |
| 2012 | Porta Nigra: Black Gate, Hidde Van Seggelen Gallery, London, UK * The Mayor's Parlour, Plus Art Projects, London, UK Pencil and Paper, Poppy Sebire Gallery, London, UK The Seven Lamps, Lubomirov-Easton Gallery, London, UK Butterfly Effect, Artkapsule Editions @ Koleksiyon Showrooms, London, UK * Hallogallo, Sir John Cass School of Art & Architecture Gallery, London Metropolitan University, London, UK + |
| 2011 | Large Formats, Oscar Cruz Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil 15 Years, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Rotate, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK |
| 2010 | Fast Forward: Contemporary British Art in Brazil, Sao Paulo Biennale, Cultura Inglesa: Brazilian British Cultural Centre, Sao Paulo, Brazil Contemporary Art III, Oscar Cruz Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil Gallery Display, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK Inaugural Show, Oscar Cruz Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil Use & Mention, Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich, London, UK |
| 2009 | Supersurface FX, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany + Supersurface, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK + Paper View, John Jones Project Space, London, UK Works on Paper, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany The Sculpture Show: Oysters Ain't, V22 Presents, London, UK Hypersurface FX, Margini Contemporary Art, Massa, Italy + |
| 2008 | Superstratum, Koraalberg Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium + * John Moores Painting Prize 25, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK * 100%, Mauger Modern Art, Bath, UK Space Now, Space Studios Gallery, London, UK Hypersurface: Painting in a Virtual World, OVADA Gallery, Oxford, UK + Hypersurface, Rod Barton Invites, London, UK + Superscope, Monika Bobinska/Lounge Gallery, London, UK + |
| 2007 | British Painting, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Winter Exhibition, Contemporary Art Projects, London, UK |
| 2006 | Salon Connexions, Contemporary Art Projects, London, UK Ebb and Flow Part II, Raid Projects, Los Angeles, USA * John Moores Painting Prize 24, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK * Celeste Art Prize, Well Gallery, Truman Brewery, London, UK * |
| 2005 | About Painting II, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Painting: London, Holly Snapp Gallery, Venice, Italy Gallery Artists, Baro Cruz Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil Ebb and Flow, Three Colts Gallery, London, UK * |
| 2004 | Showdown Painting, Hengrove Art Space, Bristol, UK Revolution, Trailer Projects, London, UK 22, Artspace 22, London, UK Worn Out Wash Monkeys, Powell Road, London, UK Gallery Artists, Entwistle Gallery, London, UK Stay Positive! Positivism and Abstraction, Marella Contemporary Art, Milan, Italy * Collezione#1, Isabella Brancolini Gallery, Florence, Italy |
| 2003 | Godzilla, Trailer Projects, London, UK Lexmark European Art Prize, Eye Storm Gallery, London, UK About Painting, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Painting Per Se, Andre Millan Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil; Oscar Cruz Gallery, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Gallery Artists, Entwistle Gallery, London, UK New Abstract Painting: Painting Abstract Now, Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany * Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK * Post Flat: New Art From London, Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, USA * |
| 2002 | Matt Franks, DJ Simpson, Michael Stubbs, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Gallery Artists, Entwistle Gallery, London, UK Painting as a Foreign Language, Cultura Inglesa: Brazilian British Cultural Centre, Sao Paulo, Brazil* |
| 2001 | Vivid, Richard Salmon Gallery, London, UK; Mead Gallery, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK; Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland, UK * So Nearly Exotic, Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, Finland + Teeth & Trousers, Cell Projects, London, UK Throb, Westland Place Gallery, London, UK + |
| 2000 | Assembly, Jubilee Street, London, UK * Include Me Out, Unit 6 Provost Street, London, UK |
| 1999 | Din/D-I-N, 4×4 Project Space, Amsterdam, Holland Elastic Abstract, Curtain Road Arts, London, UK; Spacex Gallery, Exeter, UK + * |
| 1998 | Cluster Bomb, Morrison/Judd Gallery, London, UK From Within, Juliet Gallery, Trieste, Italy * British Painting in the 90's, Hollenbach Gallery, Stuttgart, Germany Minus, Duncan Cargill Gallery, London, UK Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK |
| 1997 | World of Painting, Unit Gallery, London, UK * Renovate, Shoreditch Town Hall, London, UK Gallery Artists, Duncan Cargill Gallery, London, UK Traffic, Curtain Road Arts, London, UK |
| 1996 | Snuff – Tatort London, Christa Schubbe Gallery, Dusseldorf, Germany * Gallery Artists, Lotta Hammer Gallery, London, UK Gerard Hemsworth, Paul Morrison, Michael Stubbs, Suzy Willey, Villa Dei Cesari, London, UK Fifty Quid, Derbyshire Street Studios, London, UK Really Out of Order, John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton, UK; The Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK Out of Order, Independent Art Space, London, UK * Drawn From Life: WEU Presidency Exhibition; Contemporary Art from the British Council Collection, Western European Union, Brussels, Belgium * Art 96, Curtain Road Arts at the Design Centre, London, UK * |
| 1995 | Cocaine Orgasm, BANK, London, UK Gang Warfare, Independent Art Space; London, UK; McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, USA; Le Consortium, Dijon, France * Hard Work – Shift 2, Exmouth Market, London, UK * That's not the way to do it, PS2 Gallery, University of Northumbria, Newcastle, UK |
| 1994 | Potato, Independent Art Space, London, UK Miniatures, The Agency, London, UK Punishment & Decoration, Hohenthal und Bergen Gallery, Cologne, Germany * |
| 1993-97 | New Voices: British Painting 1989-93, Musee National d' Histoire et d' Art, Luxembourg; Istanbul Greater Municipality Taksim Art Gallery, Turkey *; Ankara State Fine Arts Gallery, Turkey; Izmin State Painting & Sculpture Museum, Turkey; Centre d'Art, Santa Monica, Barcelona, Spain *; Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao, Spain; Centro Cultural Galileo, Madrid, Spain; Sala de Veronicas, Murcia, Spain; Pescadera Vieja, Sala de Arte, Jerez, Spain; Kulturhistorisches Museum, Magdeburg, Germany *; National Theatre Gallery, Bucharest, Romania; Art Halls of the Cultural Centre, Athens, Greece; Cultural Centre, National Bank of Greece, Thessaloniki, Greece; Russian Museum, St.Petersburg, Russia; The Museum, Nizhni Novgorod, Russia; Mirabachov Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia; House of the Black Madonna, Czech Museum of Fine Arts, Prague, Czech Republic; Museum of Modern Art, Skopje, Macedonia |
| 1993 | Mandy Loves Declan 100%, Mark Boote Gallery, New York, USA + * East, Norfolk Institute of Art & Design, Norwich, UK * Launch, Curtain Road Arts, London, UK + |
| 1992 | New Voices: New Works for the British Council Collection, Centre Albert Borschette, Brussels, Belgium * Joy & Pain, Institute for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam, Holland * |
| 1991 | Critics View, Foyer Gallery, Royal Festival Hall, London, UK Affordable Art, Connaught Brown Gallery, London, UK Gallery Artists, Nicola Jacobs Gallery, London, UK Winter '91, Nicola Jacobs Gallery, London, UK |
| 1990 | Whitechapel Open, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK Hommage to the Square, Flaxman Gallery, London, UK Swimming Underwater, Imagination Design & Communication, London, UK * MA Show, Goldsmiths College, London, UK * 76 46 01 46 British Contemporaries, Ecole des Beaux Arts, Grenoble, France Interim, Goldsmiths Gallery, London, UK Countdown, Chisenhale Gallery, London, UK |
Selected Publications:
| 2022 | High on Hope: Gerard Hemsworth Memorial Exhibition, Julien Delagrange, Daniel Sturgis, Mo Throp, Cross Lane Projects, Kendal, UK The Cake Paintings: John Bunker in Conversation with Michael Stubbs, Turps Banana, Issue 25, UK |
| 2020 | Sharing a View: Contemporary Art from Glasgow, Alistair Payne, Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, China, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art, Guangzhou, China PhotographyDigitalPainting: Expanded Medium Interconnectivity in Contemporary Visual Art Practice, Carl Robinson (Ed.), Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK |
| 2018 | Fully Awake: Teaching Painting, Ian Hartshorne, Sean Kaye, Dyson Gallery, Royal College of Art, London, UK Superimposition, Paul Carey Kent, Catherine Loewe, Michael Stubbs, Partners & Mucciaccia Gallery, London, UK PaintingDigitalPhotography: Synthesis and Difference in the Age of Media Equivalance, Carl Robinson (Ed.), Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK |
| 2014 | When Elephants Come Marching In: Sixties Echoes in Todays Art, Mark Kremer, DeAppel, Amsterdam, Holland |
| 2012 | Porta Nigra: Black Gate, Mark Kremer, Hidde Van Seggelen Gallery, London, UK |
| 2011 | Documents of Contemporary Art: Painting, Terry Myers (Ed.), Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK/MIT Press, Cambridge Massachusetts, USA |
| 2010 | Michael Stubbs: Decorative Delerium, John Chilver, Laurent Delaye Gallery, London, UK |
| 2008 | Superstratum, John Chilver,Perry Roberts, Michael Stubbs, Koraalberg Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium John Moores Painting Prize 25, Ann Bukantas, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK |
| 2006 | Artists in Britain since 1945, Volume 2: M to Z, David Buckman, Art Dictionaries Ltd., UK John Moores Painting Prize 24, Ann Bukantas, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK |
| 2005 | Interweave: Ebb & Flow, David Ryan, Three Colts Gallery, London UK; Raid Projects, Los Angeles, USA |
| 2004 | Stay Positive, Primo Marella, Marella Contemporary Art, Milan, Italy |
| 2003 | Painting Per Se, Gerard Hemsworth, Suhail Malik, Centro Britanico Barzsiliero, Sao Paulo, Brazil New Abstract Painting: Painting Abstract Now, Ute Riesse, Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany Royal Academy Illustrated 2003, Frederick Cuming, Selection from 235th Summer Exhibition, UK Post Flat, Barry Schwabsky, Locks Gallery, Philadelphia, USA |
| 2002 | Vivid, David Ryan, Richard Salmon Gallery, London, UK; Mead Gallery, Warwick University, Coventry, UK; Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Sunderland, UK Painting as a Foreign Language, Gerard Hemsworth, Suhail Malik, Centro Britanico Barzsiliero, Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| 1999 | Elastic Abstract, Tom Trevor, Spacex Gallery, Exeter, UK |
| 1996 | Out of Order, Stuart Morgan, Independent Art Space Gallery, London, UK; John Hansard Gallery, University of Southampton, UK; Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK |
| 1995 | Works for a Complex Age, Adrian Searle, New Voices, British Council, Germany/Romania |
| 1994 | Punishment and Decoration, Michael Corris, Hohenthal und Bergen Gallery, Cologne, Germany |
| 1993 | Mandy Loves Declan 100%, Stuart Morgan, Mark Boote Gallery, New York, USA New Voices: British Painting, 1989-93, Gill Hedley, Andrea Rose, British Council, Turkey/Spain East, Linda Morris, Norfolk Institute of Art & Design, Norwich, UK |
| 1992 | New Voices, Gill Hedley, Andrea Rose, British Council, Belgium/Luxembourg Joy & Pain, Mark Kremer, Institute for Contemporary Art, Amsterdam, Holland |
| 1990 | The Concept, the Business, the Art (Design-Art's Anxiety): Swimming Underwater, Dick Hebdige, Nicholas De Ville, Imagination Design & Communication, London, UK Goldsmiths' MA 90, Mark Kremer, Nicholas De Ville, Goldsmiths Fine Art MA Exhibition, London, UK |
Selected Writings:
| 2020 | Transference and the Screen: Digital Embodiment in Contemporary Painting, Conference Paper/Chapter, DigitalPaintingPhotography, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, UK |
| 2018 | Teaching Undergraduates – Digital Embodiment in Contemporary Painting: Ontology, Making and the Screen, Conference Paper, Teaching Painting, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK |
| 2011 | The Role of the Artists Studio, Essay, Pigeon Art Magazine: Studio Edition, Autumn, UK |
| 2009 | Glenn Brown: No Visible Means of Support, Essay, Solo Exhibition Catalogue, Tate Liverpool, UK; Foundazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy; Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary |
| 2008 | Gerard Hemsworth: A Question of Rhetoric, Feature, Turps Banana, Issue 5, October-March, UK Tipping Point, Review, Purdy Hicks Gallery, Turps Banana, Issue 4, April-September |
Public Collections:
| De van den Broek Foundation/Lisse Art Museum, Amsterdam, Holland | |
| Chippenham Museum and Art Galleries, Chippenham, UK | |
| BBC Soho House, London, UK | |
| UK Government Art Collection, UK | |
| British Council, UK | |
| BHP Oils, UK | |
| Gibraltar Bank, Gibraltar | |
| Goldsmiths, University of London, UK | |
| Groucho Club, London, UK | |
| Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbau, Frankfurt, Germany | |
| Marsh Ltd, UK | |
| Slough Estates, UK | |
| Texas Pacific, UK | |
| (Private collections throughout Europe, United States and South America) |