John Stezaker is an English conceptual artist born on 1949. Stezaker attended the Slade School of Art in London, graduating with a High Diploma in Fine Art in 1973. In the 1970s, he was among the first wave of British conceptual artists to react against what was the predominance of Pop Art.
Solo exhibitions for Stezaker have been rare, however in the mid-2000s, his work was rediscovered by the art market, he is now collected by several international collectors and museums. Until 2006, Stezaker was a Senior Tutor in Critical and Historical Studies at the Royal College of Art in London.
His work is surreal in tone and is often made using collage and appropriation of postcards, film stills and old photographs. He cuts and slices into old photographs into half diagonally or cut around the face to leave the silhouette resulting with interesting effects. He combines this with landscape images to create a surreal piece of art like the subjects face is being shaped by the image of nature. This can create the idea of how the both are a like with certain images of nature that symbolises something different. For example, a picture of a tree could symbolise life, old age or wisdom. Stezaker’s work can insight a multitude of meanings and interpretations which encourages people to use that in their work and make it more creative. In 2007, The Daily Telegraph wrote that Stezaker “is hailed as a major influence on the Young British Art movement”, in reference to Young British Artists.
Some exhibitions include ‘Blind’ in 2013, which made up of various artist’s personal collections of film stills re-photographed and projected on a display. ‘Touch’ an exhibition in 2015 which took place in Belgium showcasing his most recent work and ‘Love’ held in 2018 where he showcased art that referenced love and betrayal.
Stezaker is a creative artist that explores experimentation and manipulation, giving inspiration for me to find out different ways to make my work more interesting.
Lap Chung's Personal Project 