Stephen Burke

Stephen Burke is an artist from Dublin, Ireland. He developed an artistic practice after being involved in the Irish graffiti community for many years. Stephen received his Masters in Painting from the Glasgow School of Art in 2018 and has been developing his studio and academic writing practice since. He was a scholar of Fresh A.I.R.

Project discription:

Stephens work draws from the built environment as subject and playground and explores notions of urban regeneration, post-vandalism and situationist workings. The work he’s making currently relates to the architecture and public spaces of Berlin. He is particularly interested in how humans interact with these spaces and the many oddities which are left as the remnants of these interactions. Stephen Burke builds paintings made of tiles and other utility elements. He uses these surfaces as a blackboard to narrate coded messages and depict imagery. These paintings usually contain iconography which relates to the spray painted construction markings which demarcate public space and large painted patches which reference the removal of graffiti (another form of demarcation) along with a plethora of other oddities he encounters in public spaces throughout the city. These works bring to light the peripheries of our cities and consider the role of art in our everyday experience.