Stephen Russell

‘Super Vanitas’ examines how art communicates through the manipulation and reworking of visual and cultural sign systems. In this new work, Stephen Russell explores the intersection of art, politics, time and mortality through a reinterpretation of Jacques-Louis David’s The Death of Marat. Russell’s conceptual games mask an incisive investigation into the ways in which art historical codes and contemporary critical theory influence the material practices of art making. Russell is a Brisbane based artist currently completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). He has studied as an undergraduate at the University of Westminster in London and has exhibited in both London and Brisbane, most recently with a solo exhibition at the QUT Art Museum. Russell will be a contributing artist in the 2009 2High Festival at the Brisbane Powerhouse and will also be profiled in Young People Making Queensland, a Youth Arts Queensland publication. Russell is also a founding co-director of the artist-run initiative Accidentally Annie St Space.

Super Vanitas
Stephen Russell
26 September – 17 October 2009