A line in the sand: an artistic response in support of humanitarian efforts in Gaza

About the Artwork

FOMO is part of a series of 10 works. Each is a unique expression rendered in different media. All 10 works were created by Stuart in one session on New Year's Day 2024. These are ten ways to move forward, and rather than reflecting on the past, they celebrate the hope of what is to come. 

This time of year, many take to social media to present a perfectly curated version of the last 12 months, focusing on all the best bits. This non-reality often excludes the failures, learnings, and misadventures. As such it perpetuates a sense that we are not enough and that everyone else is doing better than they are. 

Remember "The past is theirs, the future is ours"

About the Artist 

Stuart Semple is a world-renowned contemporary artist, curator, and activist. His multidisciplinary approach spans painting, printmaking, video, technology, sculpture, happenings, and performances. His works have been exhibited at the ICA, Denver Art Museum, Dulwich Picture Gallery, the Barbican, the Whitworth, and several other museums and institutions. 

Stuart has written for The Guardian, VogueSpain, and Art of England magazine, and has presented for the BBC, including the BBC Radio Documentary "Hostile Design," which was nominated for an ARIA (an "Academy Award" for radio). 

As a curator, Semple founded GIANT, the UK's largest artist-run gallery space, where he presents a program of international contemporary art. He received a Happiness Hero medal from the United Nations on their first International Day of Happiness, in recognition of his artwork Happy Clouds, which took place outside Tate Modern. 

Stuart also founded culturehustle.com, which distributes art materials made in his studio, including his iconic Pinkest Pink and Blackest Black paints, to artists around the globe. 

Semple has spoken at Southbank Centre, Frieze Art Fair, Dublin Museum, Denver Art Museum, Oxford University, and the Royal College of Art, and he is an ambassador for mental health charity Mind, where he initiated a fund to provide arts therapies throughout England and Wales. 

He lives and works in Glastonbury and Bournemouth.