Derek Sullivan
(1976–)
Derek Sullivan
1976–
Derek Sullivan (1976-) is a Canadian artist based in Toronto, Ontario. He was born in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and earned a BFA from York University in 1999 and an MFA from the University of Guelph in 2004.
Sullivan's work is multidisciplinary, incorporating drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and installation. His work often explores the intersections of language, architecture, and book design, and he is known for his use of repetition and seriality. The range of media that Sullivan uses in his work functions to explore the way that different medias are interconnected and also allow him to engage with the formal relationships between modernism, geometric abstraction, and conceptualism.
For example, Sullivan’s choice of media is often purposefully contradictory. In replicating a book or creating a poster, the object will often be drawn by hand in pencil crayon. The hand-drawn cross-hatching is contrasted against the standardized, high-tech, and efficient strategies typically employed in the production of books and posters. Furthermore, his sculptural and hand-drawn book works function to draw attention to the way that books are typically printed, assembled, and disseminated among readers.
Sullivan's work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Canada and internationally. Some of his notable exhibitions include "Albatross Omnibus" at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in 2012, "The Appearance of Things" at the Esker Foundation in Calgary in 2015, and "Every Letter in the Alphabet" at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2016.
In addition to his studio practice, Sullivan is also a writer and editor. He has published critical essays on contemporary art and artists and has edited several publications, including "The Worst Condition Is To Pass Under A Sword Which Is Not One's Own" (2013) and "Three-Way" (2015).