Biography
Duncan Bullen was born in Norwich, England in 1962. He studied at Great Yarmouth College of Art and Fine Art at Leeds Polytechnic before graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1991 with the prestigious Prix di Rome. After completing this scholarship he went onto be artist in residence at the Eremo di Santa Caterina, a small hermitage on the Italian Island of Elba. He returned many times to this remote spot, which has helped to shape an evolving abstract language in which colour is seen as an embodiment of light.
A culmination of these residencies was ‘Night Prayers’ an artist book work and exhibition held in the Chiasa di Santa Caterina in 2004. The following year he was Artist/Scholar at the Experimental Printmaking Institute, Lafayette College, PA, USA. A Further artist book work ‘Silence and Light’ was published. During 2007 he moved away from the chromatically dense, layered work of previous years and has been making a series of silverpoint and coloured pencil drawings on prepared aluminum panels.
Bullen has exhibited extensively both in this country and abroad and has had many solo exhibitions. His work is in many private and public collections,. He lives and works in Brighton and is Senior Lecturer in Fine Art Printmaking at the University of Brighton, UK.
Education
1991-92 British School at Rome Rome Scholarship, Italy.
1989-91 Royal College of Art, MA (RCA)
1985-88 Leeds Polytechnic, Fine Art B.A [Hons] First Class
1983-85 Great Yarmouth College of Art & Design
One Person Exhibitions
2006 Silence and Light, Otter Gallery, University of Chichester
Paintings, Maltby Gallery, Winchester
Night Prayers, Star Gallery, Lewes
2004 Night Prayers, Eremo di Santa Caterina, Elba, Italy
2003 From Silence, Jill George Gallery, London.
2002 Still, White Gallery, Brighton
2001 Dark Light, Jill George Gallery, London.
1999 Hermetica, Jill George Gallery, London.
1998 Prints and Paintings, Loughborough College of Art and Design.
1997 Isola, Jill George Gallery, London
1995 New Paintings, Jill George Gallery, London.
1993 Small Work, Jill George Gallery.
1992 Millenovecentonovantadue, Accademica Britannica, Rome.
Dell’ Arte, London
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2009: From Art School to University, Art and Design at Brighton 1859-2009
2008 Figuring Light; Colour & the Intangible, Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham
Printmaking, Museum of Modern Art, Nairobi, Kenya.
2007 Bend in the River, Gainsborough, Lincolshire
Images of the Divine, Orleans House, London
Celebration of the Book, University of Manchester
International Mini Print, Leicester Print workshop/ City Gallery (& tour - University College, Northampton, Aberystwth Arts Centre, Gainsborough’s House, Sudbury,)
2006 A Decade of Artists Books at EPI, Skillman Library, Lafayette College,PA, USA
Celebration of the Book, Centro Cultural, San Jose, Costa Rica & Universidad Autonomo Metropolitan, Mexico City
Stardust, Star Gallery Brighton
Contemporary Print 4, London Print Studio
2005 Space & Spirit, Center Art Gallery, Calvin College, MI USA
Art for Life, Christies Contemporary Art, London
2004 Faith in the City, Fringe Festival, Brighton
Blank Canvas, Foster Art, London.
On-Site, Phoenix Art Gallery, Brighton.
Contemporary Print 2, London Print Studio.
2003 Hortulus Animae, Eremo di Santa Caterina, Elba, Italy
Momentum, Keller & Greene Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Ex-Press, Printmaking from the RCA, Gulbenkian Galleries, London
Prints, Surface Gallery, Nottingham
2002 San Francisco International Art Exposition
Adapt Now, Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow
New Paintings, Jill George Gallery, London
CrusAid, Bloomberg Space, London
2001 San Francisco International Art Exposition
White Gallery, Brighton
Festival Show, Brighton Independent Printmaking
2000 Art to Z, Zwemmer Gallery, London
Multiples, Proof, London
2K 2K, Jill George Gallery, London
San Francisco International Art Exposition
1999 Lumen II, Allenheads Centre for the Arts, Northumberland
Watercolour 21, Bankside Gallery, London
1998 Lumen [with Lorry Eason], Chiasa di S. Caterina, Elba, Italy.
Contemporary Print, Barbican,
The End of the Beginning, Redfern Gallery, London
1997 The Large Edition, Quicksilver Gallery, Middlesex University.
Hot Bed: Contemporary British Prints, Lancaster University.
1996 Monoprint, Gainsborough House, Sudbury.
The Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London.
Absolute Secret, Gulbenkian Gallery, London. [also '96]
1995 Art Aid, Cornwall, London.
Drawing 3, Jill George Gallery, London.
Contemporary Print, Hardware Graphics, Barbican, London
1994 National Print, Mall Galleries, London.[also '95]
Contemporary Print, Hardware Graphics, Barbican, London
Relief, Hardware Gallery, London.
1993 Contact Gallery, Norwich.
Summer Show, Jill George Gallery.
1992 RCA Printmaking, Marlborough Graphics, London.
South Bank Picture Show, Royal Festival Hall, London
1991 Open to Print, Bankside Gallery, London.
Austin Desmond Fine Art, London
Ernst & Young,Cambridge.
Poet In Paint, Rimbaud Centenary, Plymouth Art Centre.
1990 Printmaking ‘90, Small Mansion Art Centre, London.
London Group Open, Gulbenkian Gallery, RCA, London.
South Bank Picture Show, Royal Festival Hall, London
1989 Pictured Books, Lancaster City Gallery.
‘J’ Ouvert, London Print Shop National Touring Show.
Exchanges, General Haus, Maastricht, Holland.
Leeds Artists, City Gallery, Leeds.
Hats- Wheels, Eagle Works, Wolverhampton.
Small Work, Brahm Gallery, Leeds.
Three Artists, Islington Art Factory, London
1988 Porl & Porl, Leeds.
Open Print, Contact Gallery, Norwich.
Also various international Art Fairs since 1994 including Chicago, Glasgow, London, Santa Fe, Toronto.
Teaching
1999 to present Senior Lecturer, School of Arts & Communications, University of Brighton
Visiting Lecturer - Royal College of Art, The Norfolk Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University, Middlesex University, Humberside University, West Surrey Institute of Art & Design, Newark & Sherwood College, University of Central England, University of Chichester.
Awards & Residencies:
2007 International Mini Print, Prize Winner
2005 Artist/Scholar Experimental Printmaking Institute, PA, USA
2003 Arts & Humanities Research Board, Small Grants Award.
1992- 2003 Artist in Residence - Eremo di Santa Caterina, Isola d’ Elba, Italy
1991-92 Rome Scholarship, British School at Rome, Italy.
1991 Atlantis Paper Prize,
CCA Gallery Award
Dell’ Arte Award.
1990 Artist in Residence - Cite International des Arts Paris, [R.C.A].
Collections:
Deustche Morgan Grenfell, British School at Rome, Leeds Education Authority, Royal College of Art, Gartmore Investment Management, Arthur Anderson & co, Mezzanine Managment, Eremo di S. Caterina., Lafayette College, PA, USA.
Private collections in Europe, Australia, Canada & U.S.A
Publications & Press
1991 Rimbaud Centenary, 'Poet in Paint' by Jonathan Livingstone.
Plymouth Art Centre. ISBN 0 948081 06 6
Time Out Sarah Kent (6-13th June)
Art Monthly John Fuse (Oct)
Art Review John Fuse (Nov)
Rimbaud Centenary, 'Poet In Paint' by Jonathan Livingstone.
Plymouth Art Centre. ISBN 0 948081 06 6
1992 Millenovecentonovantadue, Introduction by Andrew Renton.
British School at Rome / British Council.
1993 Eastern Daily Press (Jan 4)
Radio Norfolk Interview
1995 Quarderni di Santa Caterina, Rivista Annuale di Cultura no3,
Edited by Hans Georg Berger.
'Degrees of Importance' Art Review (June )
1996 'Shop Window' Art Review (Sept ‘)
1998Paintings and Prints. Introduction "An Island Vision" by William Jackson. Loughborough College of Art and Design.
Lumen (exhibition catalogue) Text by Hans Georg Berger.
1999 Hermetica, (exhibition catalogue)Text - William Jackson.
2000 Dark Light, Text -(exhibition catalogue) Anna Moszyanska.
2001 Adapt Now, Museum & Art Gallery, Glasgow
Art Aid, Bloomberg Space, London
Transformed by the Light, Hattie Gordon, The Argus, Brighton May 17th
2003 From Silence (exhibition catalogue)
Los Angeles Times, June 2003
2004 Night Prayers, Artist Book, Edizioni s. Caterina.
2005 Silence and Light Artist Book, EPI, Lafayette College, PA
Research News, University of Brighton, Edition 12
2006 For the record, not abstract, Richard Davey, Church Times, 7th April
Viva Lewes issues 10 & 15
Silence and Light, (exhibition catalogue)
Printmaking Today Vol 15 No2 Summer, Emma Hill.
Research News, University of Brighton, Edition 15
2007 Printmaking Today Vol 16 No4 Winter 2007
2008 Printmaking on a Budget, A&C Black
Figuring Light, (exhibition catalogue) Djanogly Gallery,
Left Lion, Nottingham Culture, Laura Gavin
thisisNottingham.co.uk/ Evening Post
2009 From Art School to University, Art and Design at Brighton 1859-2009.