Hurvin Anderson (born 1965) is a British painter.
Biography
Anderson is a British born painter. He focuses his artwork on telling narratives based in African Diaspora culture. While Anderson was born in the United Kingdom, his parents are from Jamaica. This double-sided heritage informs many of the motifs often expressed in Anderson’s work. He experiments with the markers of identity in both contemporary Britain and the Caribbean, as well as the socio-cultural effects of the expanded colonial world. Anderson’s work has expanded the boundaries of the genre of landscape painting in art history; through landscape and environmental themes, he addresses issues surrounding culture, community, colonial history, and identity. His works continue to speak today on globalism and ideas of capitalism as well as selfhood.
Early life and education
Anderson was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, United Kingdom in 1965. His parents, Elsade and Stedford Anderson, migrated to the UK from Jamaica as a part of the Windrush Generation. Growing up in the UK, Anderson did not have a full immersion of his Caribbean culture, which he explores in his later work.
Anderson has been interested in the arts since childhood. He was known for carrying a sketchbook with him everywhere, often drawing depictions of black protagonists and superheroes. Anderson realized he could pursue a career in art after attending an exhibition of black contemporary art with his brother. This exhibition was also when Anderson began his interest in photography, which plays a key role in his artwork.
Anderson received a bachelors degree in painting from Wimbledon School of Art and was mentored by George Blacklock and John Mitchell. Throughout his years at school he received multiple awards as well as the William Booker travel scholarship. Anderson did his graduate studies at the Royal College of Art and received his masters in painting by 1998. During this time, economic issues at the time resulted in the necessity to find work immediately. This included both odd jobs and studio work. Anderson then went on to attend Birmingham Polytechnic and studied under their fine arts program. Anderson completed a painting fellowship with the Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education. He later completed two art residences one in London and one in Trinidad.
Residencies and fellowships
Anderson completed a Caribbean Contemporary Arts Residency Program in Trinidad in 2002.
2009: Artists in residence, Headlands Center for the Arts, Sausalito
2005: Artist in residence, Dulwich Picture Gallery, London
2002: Artist in residence, Caribbean Contemporary Arts, Port of Spain, Trinidad
1990–2000: Cheltenham Fine Art Research Fellow in Painting, Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education
Career and artwork
Anderson often works from photographs and his own memories to create works that range from delicate paintings on vellum to large canvases that can consume an entire wall. His paintings and works on paper "depict places where memory and history converge" and engage with issues of identity and representation. While recent works, such as Studio Drawing 15 (2016) mark a shift toward abstraction in his oeuvre, the motifs of the barbershop, densely layered trees, and Caribbean landscapes have been consistently featured throughout most of his career. Anderson is represented by Thomas Dane Gallery in London and Michael Werner Gallery in New York