Bruce Asbestos’ work draws from a rich history of painting, sculpture, popular culture, folklore and fairy tales. His work frequently mixes everyday objects with high art, fashion, and responds to global pop culture. His interdisciplinary practice combines performance, painting, clothing, social media, video games, curating and many collaborations.
The works increasingly use play as a way of generating absurd, idiosyncratic combinations of objects and images, setting up problematic relationships between disparate elements of personal, cultural identity, fantasy and our collective relationship with commerce.
“Through his shrewd use of social media, personal re-hashing of global pop culture and use of new digital technologies, he has established an unmistakable visual identity and unique brand (complete with logos) to almost become a living artwork.” Art Review
Recent projects and exhibitions include, Ok! Cherub! Bluecoat, Liverpool (Solo exhibition), S/S 2022 Holden Gallery, Manchester, Gallery Went Pop, Broadway Gallery, Letchworth, Power, National Justice Museum, S/S 2020 Bonington Gallery, Bruce Asbestos X Juliana Sissons, Primary, A/W Collection, Kunstraum, London, A/W 2018 Nottingham Contemporary, Arts Council International Fund project to NYC and Philadelphia, Bruce Asbestos A-B Testing, Concrete, Hayward Gallery, London. MTN DEW, Commission by EM15 for ‘Sunscreen’, Venice Biennale. Ivan Poe / Reactor, Plymouth Art Weekender. He was nominated for the £300,000 Paul Hamlyn Breakthrough Fund 2013/4.
Bruce Asbestos S/S 2020 is part of the Government Art Collection.