Collaborators
Julian Opie - Artist
Infra; image Julian Opie
Julian Opie lives and works in London. He studied at Goldsmithâs College of Art, graduating in 1982 and had his first solo exhibition at Lisson Gallery in 1983.
Opie has exhibited extensively internationally and important recent exhibitions and public projects include Julian Opie, Recent Works, MAK, Vienna (2008); Walking on the Vltava, Museum Kampa, Prague (2007); Julian & Suzanne walking, a permanent installation at Phoenix Art Museum (2007); Julian Opie, Signs, City of Indianapolis, (2006-7); Julian Opie & Henry Moore, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (2006); Julian Opie, Centre de Arte Contemporáneo de Malaga (2006); Animals, buildings, cars and people, City Hall Park, New York, organised by the Public Art Fund (2004-5); We swam amongst the fishes, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2004); Bijou gets undressed, K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2003). Signs, City of Indianapolis, (2006-7); Julian Opie & Henry Moore, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto (2006); Julian Opie, Centre de Arte Contemporáneo de Malaga (2006); Animals, buildings, cars and people, City Hall Park, New York, organised by the Public Art Fund (2004-5); We swam amongst the fishes, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (2004); Bijou gets undressed, K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2003).
Julian Opie draws the contemporary world, constructing his refined, concise visual language, through which images of people, figures and landscapes are conjured. He distils his images from the wide but everyday world we encounter, rendering them in his universally recognisable style. Opieâs portraits explore the tension between general and specific reality, transforming individual subjects into universal signs, interrogating the genre of portraiture itself.
Opieâs interest in the human figure and portraiture has been further extended into moving animations using LCD and LED. The animated figures walk, smile or dance with the fluidity of movement of real humans.
Julian Opie has recently collaborated with Wayne McGregor on the Deloitte Ignite festival at the Royal Opera House. He has also provided the designs for Infra, McGregor's latest work for the Royal Ballet.