Steven Cox’s process driven abstract paintings explore a ‘hands-off’ approach to painting where an exploration of materiality, physicality and the sublime is central to his painting practice. Stimulating a phenomenological interpretation, his all-over compositions are created through a highly refined combination of unique transferal painting techniques.

The dark vertical waves, punctuation marks and peppering of dots spotlight the results of his animated studio based performances where the physical presence of the artist is reflected in the gestural marks present in the paintings. Electric colours emerge from behind the ‘all-over’ black compositions that’s created by his unique transferal painting technique; the artist physically transfers oil paint from a large prepared plastic sheet of paint that hangs both suspended and parallel to the canvas surface. The oil paint that is transferred from the plastic surface to the canvas surface function as visual ‘recordings’ of his rhythmic actions and gestures.

The impromptu and unpremeditated results are embraced in the making process, whilst the gestural marks call to attention a rhythmic traversing of visual cadences. In summary, Steven Cox’s bridging of technique, colour and form highlights his desire to unearth new possibilities within the genre of abstract painting. His approach combines diverse historical and contemporary methodologies that pays tribute to an unending wish to continuously push the boundaries of this material language.

Steven Cox is an artist who lives and works in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1986. He received his MA from Edinburgh College of Art, and his BA from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee. He has had numerous solo exhibitions worldwide, including at A Hug From The Art World, New York, USA; Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, USA; Galerie Jerome Pauchant, Paris, France; Annarumma Gallery, Naples, Italy; Galleri Benoni, Copenhagen, Denmark. He has participated in numerous international group exhibitions and residencies. Cox has been featured, reviewed and profiled in Modern Painters Magazine, ArtNews, ArtInfo, Wall Street International, Copenhagen Contemporary, Art F City and Dust Magazine, among others.

Education

2011 MA Contemporary Art Theory & Gallery Curating, Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh, Scotland
2008 BA Fine Art (Painting), Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, Scotland


Solo / Two Person Exhibitions

2022 - Dance Between The Raindrops, A Hug From The Art World, Adam Cohen, New York
2019 - Tattarrattat, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 12 October - 16 November
2018 - No Lemons No Melon, PRACTISE Gallery, Chicago, 6 May - 17 June
2017 - Good Vibrations, Galerie Jerome Pauchant, Paris, 14 October - 22 December
2017 - I Intend To Live Forever, So Far, So Good, Galerie 95, Biel, Switzerland, 21 July - 2 September
2017 - Steven Cox & Sarah Peters, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 15 April - 13 May
2016 - Language Barrier, Annarumma Gallery, Naples, 29 October - 10 December
2016 - Post No Bills, Galleri Benoni, Copenhagen, 26 February - 26 March
2016 - A Moveable Feast, Galerie Jerome Pauchant, Paris, 9 January - 12 March
2015 - Somewhere Along The Line, Ana Cristea Gallery, New York, 5 February - 14 March
2015 - An End Has A Start, Annarumma Gallery, Naples, 17 January - 28 February
2014 - An Ode To No One, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 3 May - 1 June
2014 - Remnants, Smart Gallery, Aberdeen, 3 May - 15 June
2013 - Clinging To The Wreckage, Old Ambulance Depot, Edinburgh, 7 - 10 June
2012 - Roaming Wild Pastures, Old Ambulance Depot, Edinburgh, 16 - 19 November


Group Exhibitions

2022 - Summer Exhibition, Rarity Gallery, Mykonos, Greece, April - August
2022 - The Colour And The Shape, Bohemians Guild, Tokyo, 15 January - 13 February
2021 - 10 Years, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 28 May - 21 June
2020 - 194th Annual Exhibition, The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 28 March - 31 May
2020 - Living Room, Galerie Jerome Pauchant, Paris, 24 January - 22 February
2019 - Trauma, Marignana Arte, Venice, Italy, 14 September - 23 November
2019 - Haven’t We Met Before?, A-M-G5, Glasgow, 24 - 26 May 2019 - Nice To Meet You, Ltd Ink Corporation, Edinburgh, 3 - 5 May
2018 - Paper Cuts, Saatchi Gallery, London, 16 - 18 November 2018 - Silent Poetry, Galerie Jerome Pauchant, Paris, 27 October - 20 December
2018 - Mostly Abstract Vol.3, Galleri Benoni, Copenhagen, Denmark, 16 March - 21 April
2018 - The Modern Art Salon, Vestjyllands Kunstpavillon, Videbaek, Denmark, 10 - 25 February
2018 - Wunderkammer An Epistemological Buffet, KH7 Artspace, Aarhus,Denmark, 9 February - 1 March
2017 - Busch Risvig Collection, Huset For Kunst & Design, Holstebro, Denmark, 18 August - 1 October
2017 - Grants 16/17, Lepsien Art Foundation, Dusseldorf, 24 June - 8 July
2017 - Attitudes In Painting, Hunted Projects, Lepsien Art Foundation, Dusseldorf, 29 April - 13 May
2017 - First, The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, 5 April - 29 April
2016 - Face To Face, Ernesto Esposito Collection, Palazzo Fruscione, Salerno, 22 March - 1 May
2016 - Whatspace, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 12 March - 3 April 2015 - Neighbours Vol.3, Manor Grunewald Studio, Gent, 18 - 26 April
2015 - Above and Below, Galerie Derouillon, Paris, 29 January - 3 March
2014 - On The Benefits of Delayed Gratification, Ana Cristea Gallery, NY, 11 December - 24 January
2014 - Volatile, Galleri Jacob Bjørn, Aarhus, 8 November - 30 December
2014 - Ghost Current, V1 Gallery, Copenhagen, 31 October - 22 November
2014 - Morphol Scowl, Piccadilly Place, Manchester, 11 April - 24 April
2013 - Paint On Paint Off, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 16 November - 8 December
2013 - Annual, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh, 23 November - 26 January
2012 - 151st Annual Exhibition, Royal Glasgow Institute of The Fine Arts, Glasgow, 16 September - 6 October


Art Fairs

2019 - NADA, Halsey McKay Gallery, Miami, 5 - 8 December
2019 - Art Verona, Marignana Arte, 11-13 October
2018 - Art Rotterdam, Private View Gallery, Turin, 8 - 11 February
2017 - Art Herning Copenhagen, Galleri Benoni, Copenhagen, 27 - 29 January
2016 - YIA Art Fair Brussels, Galerie Jerome Pauchant, Paris, 21 - 24 April
2016 - Art Herning Copenhagen, Galleri Benoni, Copenhagen, 29 - 31 January
2016 - Art Herning Copenhagen, Galleri Jacob Bjorn, Copenhagen, 29 - 31 January
2015 - Dallas Art Fair, Ana Cristea Gallery, New York, 9 - 12 April
2015 - Arte Fiera Bologna, Annarumma Gallery, Naples, 29 January - 1 February
2014 - UNTITLED Miami, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 2 - 6 December
2014 - Artissima, Brand New Gallery, Milan, 7 - 9 November
2013 - ArtMRKT Hamptons, Halsey McKay Gallery, New York, 11 - 14 July


Residencies

2017 - Lepsien Art Foundation, Dusseldorf, Germany 2015 - Leo XIII Guest Studio, Tilburg, Netherlands