Stephen Appleby-Barr

Stephen Appleby-Barr’s paintings juxtapose fantastical and everyday objects, conjuring a dreamlike world which verges on the uncanny. His sensitive and masterly use of the traditional medium of oil paint, recalling the work of Old Masters, contrasts with his modern sensibility, that makes references to elements of contemporary life such as video games and popular literature. Appleby-Barr sees his art as storytelling, and tours museums and city streets in the search for characters and sets to introduce into his otherworldly universe. His dark, intimate settings, rich colours and dramatic lighting recall the work of renowned Baroque artists such as Caravaggio. He is captivated by figures emerging from darkness, a whole world created within a pool of light. He often constructs intricate miniature sculptures and maquettes in preparation for his paintings, perfecting the scale of his set pieces before recreating them on canvas. 

Born in 1981 in Toronto, Stephen Appleby-Barr is currently based in London, England. His work has been exhibited and collected in Canada, the United States and Europe. His inaugural show with Robilant+Voena took place in London in 2021, followed by a show in Paris the same year, and in Milan in 2022, spotlighting Appleby-Barr's extraordinary talent for drawing. In 2023, a seminal solo exhibition featuring the works of Stephen Appleby-Barr was held at the Canada House Gallery in London. Simultaneously, the exhibition Correspondence, curated by Daniel Strong at the Grinnell College Museum of Art in Iowa, marked a watershed moment in the artist's career, constituting his inaugural institutional showcase in the United States.

Presented by R+V Contemporary.