MATTHEW DARBYSHIRE

Born in 1977 in Cambridge, England
Lives and works in Rochester, Kent, England

«How to make something as ordinary as possible when, after looking so carefully and for so long, there is no ordinary left? (…) While Matthew Darbyshire’s sculptures explore the complexities of replication, and the rich possibilities therein, they are also studies of repetition — reversion, inversion, perversion. Compulsive attention to serial repetition, embedded in the artist’s process, highlights the structural and aesthetic distinctions of each new object» Emily LaBarge

Matthew Darbyshire lives and works in Rochester, Kent. He studied at The Slade School of Fine Art and the Royal Academy of art in London. By reflecting on art, architecture and design, whether old or new, nationally or internationally, Darbyshire seeks to identify some of the forces that determine our tastes and influence the appearance and atmosphere of our living spaces. He approaches modern and postmodern design as a social and economic mirror of contemporary society. It does not judge or criticize, but rather gives a brief overview of the void around us.

He has exhibited widely in major London institutions including Tate Britain, The ICA, The Hayward Gallery, Whitechapel Art Gallery, Gasworks and The Royal Academy, and elsewhere in the UK including solo exhibitions at The Hepworth, Wakefield; Kettles Yard, Cambridge; Tramway, Glasgow; Manchester City Art Gallery and Nottingham Castle. He has exhibited in numerous museums and commercial galleries across Europe, America and Asia. Darbyshire has permanent public commissions in Holland, Finland and the UK, and artworks in public collections including CNAP, Paris; Arts Council Collection, England; Government Arts Collection, UK; The Hepworth, UK; Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK and Deutsche Bank, Germany. He has teaching fellowships from The Slade School of Fine Art, London; Kingston University and Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.