Richard Stipl
(1968–)
Richard Stipl
1968–
Richard Stipl (1968– ) is a painter turned sculptor born in Czechoslovakia and educated in Toronto. While Stipl’s early work dealt with painting and ready-mades, his sculptures depict hyper-realistic yet uncanny characters that explore the human psyche.
Made from a range of media, his hyper-realistic sculptures of the human body are highly technical and use expressive movement and gesture to explore human emotions, relationships, and the complexities of the human spirit. Often appearing in sequence, the characters are presented in contrast with one another, encapsulating the various and paradoxical ways in which people make and remake themselves over the course of a lifetime. While the figures are modeled after Stipl’s own image, they resist self-portraiture. Rather than an exploration of the self, the figures are prototypes for any body and function as an exploration of human experience more generally. While many of the figures are nude, some are adorned with logos, tattoos, and jewelry that evoke unexpected dialogues and symbols. His work often evokes religious images, depicting violent religious narratives in contrast with serene facial expressions. These narratives underscore questions of power, religion, and capitalism in the current moment.
In 1992, Stipl graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design and was awarded the Governor General’s Award. Regarding his turn to sculpture, Stipl credits sculptor Evan Penny as an important mentor in his education about the medium. His work has been featured internationally in over 20 solo exhibitions as well as a number of group and thematic shows.