Stephen Thorpe paints interiors, where rooms are likened to the psychological interiors of the mind. Drawing on psychoanalysis, sociology, folklore, and the reality of myth, Thorpe’s intricately composed paintings are at once representational and abstract, deliberately rendered to represent the dualities, synergies, and contradictions of relation between environment and human interiority. Such nuances are present in all aspects of the work – from his painterly process, with visceral and physical applications of paint paired with contemplative, controlled marks; to the chosen subject matter, encompassing busy patterns, half-familiar objects, and skewed perspectives juxtaposed with quiet, singular planes of color. Through the indexing of graphic and physical modes of painting, his work offers up spaces of connection and disconnection to contemplate how we come to be in relation both to ourselves and others.
Stephen Thorpe (Born 1981 in Margate, UK) received his MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art in London. Thorpe has shown at Ora-Ora Gallery (Hong Kong), Denny Dimin Gallery (New York and Hong Kong), and Wolfgang Gallery (Atlanta, GA). Thorpe’s work has been featured in numerous publications including The New Yorker, The Art Newspaper, Widewalls, ARTnet News, Artnews, Hyperallergic, Surface Magazine, and Lifestyle Asia, among others. Thorpe will present his first solo exhibition at DIMIN in September 2024.