Stephen Swindells

Stephen works with deliberate fragmentation, so rhythm moves in unconventional directions. The intention is to create a sense of release without settling into predictable form, so the surface and structure feels intentionally uneven, creating movement through disruption. He states that the search is for an ‘unruly elegance’, where form is unstable but controlled, and beauty emerges from unpredictability rather than repetition.

Stephen has exhibited his work widely across North America, Asia and Europe, as an individual artist and in artist collaborations. He holds a PhD in art and citizenship, and much of his recent work reflects his interest in art, citizenship and the public space; often looking for poetic occurrences of what it means to belong. Starting at the age of thirteen, Stephen became a rock climber and mountaineer, climbing some of the highest peaks across the Americas and Europe. These formative years, of taking and managing risks, often in life threatening situations and environments, continues to enable Stephen in the studio; to push the work beyond the obvious comfort zone, to engage in complex passages, and to move swiftly when the drawing feels necessary to also seeking a sense of tenderness and care with material engagement.

He currently manages an international residency for artists and writers in Burgundy, France. Please see: stephenswindellsstudio.com