Who is Nancyboy? Is he still alive?<\/strong><\/p>\nSadly not! It\u2019s a case of who was Nancyboy. He passed away at the end of 2009. But he\u2019s left a lot of work behind and although I miss him dearly he\u2019s still in my thoughts and remains a very strong influence. It was well over a decade ago that he started using the internet in a way it hadn\u2019t really been used before and really
\nmade art democratic. It was like an early social network around art before such things existed.<\/p>\n
When do you feel your art started to deveop its own voice?<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen I was 19, I had a really terrifying thing happen to me – I ended up in hospital and I had a really weird near death experience, I actually died for a bit. I was left in a real mess with way too many questions about how everything worked and how I felt. So I found myself really leaning on my art and painting. Immediately after that experience those pictures became really personal and for me had an important function in making me feel alright about the world. So I think looking back those things were really me trying to find my way of describing what I was going through to myself. So that\u2019s when it started, but it doesn\u2019t end. <\/p>\n
Are you surprised\/delighted\/upset\/all of the above that celebrities such as Gaga are fans of your work?<\/strong><\/p>\nIt really depends – if people connect with what I make, that\u2019s amazing. I mean one of my first ever proper canvases I made when I was a teenager Debbie Harry bought, and that was absolutely unbelievable because I am a huge fan. I still can\u2019t believe it. When it\u2019s a hero of yours that\u2019s amazing, otherwise I\u2019m not that bothered. It means more to me most of the time when a teenager comes to the show, and spends hours in there drawing everything and really connecting with it. I make the work for people and it doesn\u2019t matter who they are. It means the world to me when people understand what I\u2019m talking about in the work; that means I\u2019ve done my job right. <\/p>\n
The Aubin Gallery is one of London’s most regarded independent arts spaces – when did you first develop it? Any plans to expand the project further?<\/strong><\/p>\nOh wow, thank you! I\u2019m glad it\u2019s got that reputation, it\u2019s not really me though. I suppose I kicked it off and steered it, but an awful lot of people have contributed in one way or another. We are all so proud of it, it\u2019s one of those true DIY labour of love things. To be honest, I don\u2019t know where it\u2019s going to go next. I\u2019ve just actually stepped back from it, because I feel like it\u2019s on the right course and it\u2019s set up. It\u2019s at the point I wanted it to get to. It took over 2 years of hard work to get it where it is but in a lot of ways the job is done.<\/p>\n
What are you planning on exhibiting in October? What projects are you currently working on?<\/strong><\/p>\nThe London show, War in a Babylon at The Fine Art Society Contemporary is the main focus, it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve shown here – so I\u2019m excited about October. Otherwise, there\u2019s some collaborations on the horizon. A few more bits and bobs with Officers, the band I do the arty stuff for, working on a music video with them and Gary Numan. I did one of the BT ArtBoxes that will be all over London this summer and mine\u2019s going to be at Speakers Corner. But really it\u2019s going to be a long summer ahead of painting and making I hope.<\/p>\n
Post Adolescent Idealistic Phase: Stuart Semple + Nathan James runs from 31st June – 11th August 2012. Neubacher Shor Contemporary, 5 Brock Avenue, Toronto.
\n<\/em>
\nWords: Jack Mills<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Elusive, pop-culture amalgamist and brainchild of London’s Aubin gallery, Stuart Semple (known as “Nancyboy” in the early noughties) agreed to dish the dirt on his work ahead of his newest exhibition, “Post Adolescent Idealistic Phase”, from the 31st, and reveals a few ambitious plans for October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[305],"tags":[1107,2484,1078],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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