Michael Fullerton (1971 – )

Lives and works in Glasgow. Studied at Glasgow School of Art.

Michael Fullerton works in painting, printmaking, sculpture and film. Unusually for a contemporary artist, portraiture is a crucial part of his art. At first his painted portraits seem to be in the tradition of historical artists such as the famous eighteenth-century painter Thomas Gainsborough. Indeed, he has frequently referred to Gainsborough as an influence. On closer inspection, however, and in combination with his overall practice, his paintings challenge many of the traditional assumptions of portraiture. They ask what kinds of people are portrayed and question how much information a painting can reveal about its subject. They investigate different types of representation and how representation might be related to power. Fullerton’s choice of subjects is important; he paints individuals rather than situations, but is often drawn to figures whose lives are connected to complex political histories. He has depicted people including Paddy Hill, wrongfully convicted for an IRA bombing, a man jailed for anti-capitalist protest and a member of Glasgow’s Housing Benefit Anti-Fraud Unit.

Selected solo exhibitions: Meaning  Inc, Greene Naftali, New York and Glasgow (2014); Columbia, Chisenhale Gallery, London (2010); Black and White Are Colours, Art Nova, Art Basel, Miami (2008); Pleasure in Nonsense, Carl Freedman Gallery, London (2007); Get Over Yourself, Greene Naftali Gallery, New York (2006); Art Now, Michael Fullerton, Tate Britain, London (2005); Suck on Science, CCA, Glasgow (2005); Are You Hung Up, Transmission Gallery, Glasgow (2003) and Michael Fullerton, British Council, Glasgow (1997).