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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

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
1991-99 Part-Time Specialist Decorative Painter, Bath, Cambridge, Exeter, London, UK
1979-84 Graphic Artist, Worthing, UK; Alton, 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 Corridor Gallery, 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:

2025 Popstraction: Modern and Contemporary British Painting, Atelier Gallery, Leiston, UK +
Phantasmagoria
 II, Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK
2024 Spotlight 4: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection of Chippenham Museum, Chippenham Museum and Art Galleries, UK *
For Folk Sake,
The Cut Arts Centre, Halesworth, UK
Britten Pears Arts Summer Contemporary,
Snape Maltings, Snape, UK
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 Corridor Gallery, 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:

2024 Spotlight 4: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Collection of Chippenham Museum, Alan Fuller, Sarah Purvey, Chippenham Museum and Art Galleries, UK
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)