“I am human, and I am an artist. This is the most astounding thing, an experienced question which I will spend my whole life discovering. Every single day of my life, it is a mind-blowing joy.”
Bruce Rimell is an internationally-exhibited visual artist, poet, ambient musician and independent researcher, based in Leeds-Bradford in the UK. His art principally explores visionary, ethnographic, archaeological and cognitive themes, with vibrant imagery springing from the confluence of personal visionary experiences since childhood, shimmering inner sensations of archaeological prehistories, the humanist interplay of the cognitive and ethnographic, and dynamics of the queer and the mythical.
His art occupies a liminal space somewhere between painting, drawing and illustration, with holistic imagery springing from smooth moving lines, fragmented anatomies and vivid stylised forms. He fuses the flowing lines of Keith Haring, the archaic structures of Mesoamerican codices, and the animistic vitality of Minoan art with liminal introspection and visionary intensity.
The Dual Image Medium – in which one image rendered in acrylics, inks and markers is seen by daylight and another, different painted image is seen on the same canvas under ultraviolet illumination – is a unique aspect of his practice. He is increasingly oriented towards the creation of multi-panel friezes, as well as the integration of his poetry and music with his visual art through film.
All of these disparate elements are imagistically combined towards a single artistic aim: Beyond-The-Self Exploration. Multiple themes are enfolded to create a sense of experiential depth and hyperactive visual engagement, while abstract commentaries and critical positions are abandoned in pursuit of the simultaneously disquieting yet intimately familiar foundational currents within the living, paradoxical and sacred human being. Come and look beyond. What do you find?
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Information for Galleries, and Arts and Media Organisations can be found by clicking HERE on the image at left. Three PDF documents are available: i) a Select Portfolio for galleries and arts organisations, ii) an older magazine article for media, written in 2018 and iii) a document giving some detailed background information on my unique Dual Image Medium. A new document outlining my artistic move to large-scale friezes is currently in production. Thematic Keywords: Visions, Ethnography, Archaeology, Cognition, Humanism, Consciousness, Anthropology, Queer Theory, Beyond-The-Self Exploration |
:: statements ::
In April 2023, I released a statement on social media about the future direction of my creative work: multi-panel friezes, and the integration of art, poetry and music through film. This statement can be read HERE.
In 2021, I ‘created’ a daft conceptual artwork entitled Fungible Token: 'Artwork' & Statement of Protest Against NFTs, which expressed my aversion to the emerging NFT crypto art market. Read my concerns and see the ‘artwork’ HERE.
In July 2017, I issued a short statement about the future direction of my art and research, which included no longer referring to myself as a 'visionary artist', a self-designation from which I have become increasingly distant for a number of years. This statement is accessible HERE.
:: selected exhibitions and group shows ::
| 2023 | |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Artwork selected for Delphic exhibition |
| Melkhoutfontein, Western Cape, South Africa | Resurgence of the PaintUp with Kamamma project |
| London, UK (Venue TBC) | Artwork in A Chance For Happiness exhibition |
| 2022 | |
| Wollongong Art Gallery, NSW, Australia | Multi-panel artwork and film in Boundary Strider show |
| 621 Gallery, Tallahassee, Florida, USA | Two artworks in Art Nunz exhibition |
| K21 Space, Vienna, Austria | Artwork in United Artists for Ukraine exhibition |
| 2021 | |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Two new works in the gallery's 30th Anniversary Show |
| Laxenburg Castle, Vienna, Austria | Artwork in Emergence Dreams & Divinities group show |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Work appearing in End of Year show Scion |
| 2020 | |
| Convergence: Art in the Age of Pandaemonia | Artwork in online group show during the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| LOVE from Dreams & Divinities | Artwork in online group show during the Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2019 | |
| Atelier Gustave, Paris, France | Three artworks in Fêlures et Lumière gala showcase |
| CB1 Gallery, Limerick, Ireland | Selection of artwork in Crimson Waves exhibition |
| Melkhoutfontein, Western Cape, South Africa | Fourth phase of the PaintUp with Kamamma project |
| Arizona Psychedelics Conference, Tempe AZ, USA | Two artworks in the 2019 Psychedelics Conference Gallery |
| Buffalo Studios Gallery, Lancashire, UK | Four artworks exhibited in artist showcase |
| World Ayahuasca Conference, Girona, Spain | Salvic Voyager exhibited in 2019 Conference Gallery |
| Socially Engaged Art Salon, Brighton, UK | Queer Spirit Over Orlando in Riot! Pride 2019 exhibition |
| 2018 | |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Ten years of representation in this gallery of contemporary art! |
| Melkhoutfontein, Western Cape, South Africa | Third phase of the PaintUp with Kamamma project |
| London Loop, London, UK | Inclusion of artwork in London-based street poster campaign |
| Château de Comper, Concoret, Brittany, France | Second venue for 'Le Cerf Sacré - The Sacred Deer' exhibition |
| Chimeria Festival, Sedan, Ardennes, France | New Dual Image artwork in this International Visionary Art festival |
| 2017 | |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Solo Retrospective - Beyond Demons And Angels exhibition |
| Melkhoutfontein, Western Cape, South Africa | Second phase of the PaintUp with Kamamma project continues |
| Inkwell Arts, Leeds, UK | Artwork in 'Queerology' LGBTQ-themed exhibition |
| Visions Chamaniques, Paris, France | Fernal artwork in 'Le Cerf Sacré - The Sacred Deer' exhibition |
| Yumake Eco-Village, Rio Don Diego, | Multi-panel artwork in Semilla de la Anaconda exhibition |
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia |
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| 2016 | |
| Melkhoutfontein, Western Cape, South Africa | PaintUp with Kamamma project with 'Dreamcatchers South Africa' |
| Atelier Gustave, Paris, France | Exhibition of artwork in 'Art for Peace' travelling show |
| Patrick Studios, Leeds, UK | Exhibition of artwork in 'The Human Condition' group show |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Inclusion of artwork in 'The Beautiful Is Always Bizarre' summer show |
| Galerie Flox, Schirgiswalde-Kirschau, Germany | Second venue of 'Art for Peace' travelling show |
| 2015 | |
| Ammon Ra Gallery, Monterrey, Mexico | Inclusion of one artwork in 'Dreams & Divinities Mexico' |
| Inkwell Arts, Leeds, UK | Two artworks in 'Transitions' LGBTQ-themed exhibition |
| Luminarte Gallery, Dallas, TX, USA | Exhibition of one artwork in new 'Dreams & Divinities' exhibition |
| Gallery X, Dublin, Ireland | Exhibition of work in show 'The Exquisite Diversity of Desire' |
| Bash Contemporary, San Francisco, CA, USA | Inclusion of two artworks in 'Dreams & Divinities Fernal' show |
| 2014 | |
| Ex-Conventio de Santo Domingo, | |
| San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico | Inclusion of two artworks on Aztec themes in International Art show |
| Marienplatz, Witten Germany | Exhibition of artworks in group show 'Seis' |
| Blue Door Gallery, Yonkers, NY, USA | Inclusion of three new artworks in 'Visionaries: Seers of the Soul' |
| Chimeria Festival, Sedan, Ardennes, France | Exhibition of three new artworks in this International Visionary Art festival |
| ArtManila Art Fair, Manila, Philippines | Artwork Song of Sky Trickster in the 'Endangered Visions' exhibit |
| 2013 | |
| Centro Cultural San Marcos, Toledo, Spain | Inclusion of artwork in 'Dreams & Divinities' Visionary Art show |
| Sala de Arte, Maracena, Granada, Spain | Second venue of 'Dreams & Divinities' International Visionary Art show |
| The Voice Project | Launch of the Voice Project - February 2013 |
| Atelier Porte-Soleil, Paris, France | Inclusion of artwork in 'Art Visionnaire Contemporain' exhibition |
| Forum Factory, Berlin, Germany | Exhibition of several works in group show |
| Apiary Studios, Hackney, London, UK | Inclusion of Xibalba Song in Guerrilla Zoo's 'Modern Panic IV' exhibition |
| Fabric Gallery, Bradford, UK | Selection of works in three-artist collaborative exhibition |
| 2012 | |
| Cartwright Hall, Bradford, UK | Solo Retrospective - DNA Visions exhibition |
| Phantasten Museum, Vienna, Austria | Inclusion of Mykeon in International Visionary Art exhibition |
| Cosmo Festival, Taunton, UK | Live artist & exhibitor at Elixir Of Life project |
| Glade Festival, Norfolk, UK | Live artist & exhibitor at Elixir Of Life project |
| Skylight Gallery NYC, New York City, USA | Selection of works from Eleusis series in group show Room Number 5 |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Two works in summer show 'Urban' and winter show 'Revelations' |
| Stadtwerke, Witten, Germany | Selection of works in group show Panta Rhei |
| 2011 | |
| Marienplatz, Witten, Germany | Two pieces in Planet Earth Planet Art Mirca Art group show |
| Design Innovation Centre, Leeds, UK | Solo show - Dreams & Nightmares exhibition |
| Union 105 Gallery, Leeds, UK | Touring Venue of Dialogue Among Civilisations exhibition |
| Marienplatz, Witten, Germany | Solo show - Minoan Honey & Other Stories exhibition |
| University of Malta, Msida, Malta | Continuation of Mirca Tour for Human Rights exhibition |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Two new works in the gallery's 20th Anniversary Show |
| 2010 | |
| The Bingley Gallery, Bingley, UK | Solo show - Life:Blood exhibition |
| Durban Art Gallery, Durban, South Africa | Contribution to Dialogue Among Civilisations exhibition |
| The Rainbow Experience, Cape Town, South Africa | Third venue for Freedom & Art Mirca Art travelling exhibition |
| Kahlshof, Rodenkirchen, Cologne, Germany | Three pieces in Planet Earth Planet Art show (first venue) |
| The Art House, Wakefield, UK | Solo Show - Life, Death, Gene, Flesh exhibition |
| Murphy Hill Gallery, Chicago, USA | Work in group show Five Decades Of The Fantastic |
| 2009 | |
| Mount Beacon Fine Art Gallery, Beacon NY, USA | First venue for Freedom & Art Mirca Art travelling exhibition |
| Yorkshire Craft Centre, Bradford, UK | Solo show - Digital Lines : Ancient Words exhibition |
| ArtMazia, Massy, France | Exhibition of Honey For The Mistress Of the Labyrinth painting |
| Design Innovation Centre, Leeds, UK | Solo Show - On Gold & Stone exhibition |
| Karpeles Manuscript Museum, NY, USA | Second venue for Freedom & Art Mirca Art travelling exhibition |
| Leeds College of Art & Design, Leeds, UK | Solo show - Modern Palaeolithic exhibition |
| Östra Gymnasiet, Trangsund, Sweden | Contribution to Mirca Tour for Human Rights exhibition |
| 2008 | |
| 00130 Gallery, Helsinki, Finland | Contribution to Draw-In exhibition |
| Cupola Gallery, Sheffield, UK | Exhibition of a variety of works as stock artist, until present day |
| The Bingley Gallery, Bingley, W Yorks, UK | Exhibition of Epiphany painting as part of group show |
| Yorkshire Craft Centre, Bradford, UK | Exhibition of digital work in Flesh Open Exhibition |
| 2007 | |
| Priestley Theatre, Bradford, UK | Exhibition of Digital works as part of group show |
| STIR Bradford Festival, Bradford, UK | Inclusion of Flying Fox in the This Is Not Cannes film festival |
| Mitzpe Ramon, Negev, Israel | Exhibition of commissioned Negev Desert rock art pieces |
:: book publications ::
| White Book (2021) | Volume of spiritual poetry of religious experiences |
| Ta Sba Balamil Ta Ch'ulel (2021) | Illustrated poetic travelogue of Mexican journey |
| The Fernal Songs (2021) | Volume of queer poetic creative mythology |
| The Minoan Epiphany (2020) | Electronic publication of Bronze Age Aegean archaeology |
| They Shimmer Within (2018) | Illustrated thesis on cognition and psychedelic phenomena |
| Liminal Contact (2016) | Illustrated thesis on cognitive aspects of painting |
| On Vision And Being Human (2015) | Illustrated thesis on Visionary Humanism |
| Eleusis (2012) | Illustrated art & research publication |
| Minver Stories (2011) | Volume of psychedelic poetry |
| Xibalba Songs (2010) | Volume of mythology-inspired poetry |
:: other publications and media ::
| There's Life On Broken Ground | Art/music film on Bruce's YouTube channel |
| Emergence | Exhibition catalogue for Vienna show |
| Entheogenic Evolution Podcast | Interview about my research book They Shimmer Within |
| Curator Space | Artist feature of art/music project Sparkling Isolation |
| Artist Turns His Studio Into Stunning Psychedelic Gallery |
Art/music film on Bruce's YouTube channel |
| Expanding Minds Podcast | Interview about my research book They Shimmer Within |
| Fêlures et Lumière - Cracks and Light | Gala exhibition catalogue |
| Gaia's Art Podcast | Cognition, the Sacred and the Art of Not Knowing |
| West Yorkshire Queer Stories | My art/queer life story in this LGBTQ+ oral history archive |
| The Art Of Being Queer | Artist feature on LGBTQ+ multimedia project |
| Untold History | Cover artwork/design for debut author’s sci-fi novel |
| Chimeria 2018 Catalogue, Sedan, France | 'Only One Track' artwork featured |
| Fake Art (Vol 2) | Artworks in publication themed on artist development |
| Fuck Hate | Inclusion of artwork in anti-homophobia publication |
| Bucovina Literara, Suceava, Romania | Retrospective selection of work in Romanian literary journal |
| Encyclopaedia of Fernal Affairs, Paris France | Contributing artist & myth/language creator |
| Gay Men Draw Vaginas, San Francisco, USA | Inclusion of 'Fernal Cosmos' in contemporary art book |
| The Tripping Spriggan, Psychedelic Press, UK | Inclusion of salvic poem in Altered State Poetics Anthology |
| Visionaries: Seers of the Soul, NY, USA | ‘The Dream Of Bellerophon’ and other works featured. |
| Chimeria 2014 Catalogue, Sedan, France | 'Ch'ul Totik Ixim' artwork featured |
| Divining The Dream, Paris, France | Two Eleusis artworks in this International Visionary Art book |
| Galactic Trading Card Complex | Inclusion of 'Janus Lux Mundi' in 'Celestial Set' |
| Shamanic Quest For The Spirit Of Salvia | Salvic artwork in this forthcoming book by Ross Heaven |
| Invisible College Magazine, Pacific Northwest, USA | Issue #7, published Winter Solstice 2012 |
| COSM Journal, New York, USA | Three images in vol #7: Cosmic Creativity |
| Ink & Marker Visions: Images Of Playful Archetypes... | Retrospective of Ink & Marker illustrative & visionary work |
| Dialogue Among Civilisations, Durban, South Africa | Project publication from Art for Humanity |
| A&U Magazine, USA | Red Ochre... artwork in support of Real Stories Gallery |
| Visionary Artists Podcast | Interview on podcast VAP007 (2010) |
| Real Stories Gallery, New York, USA | Artworks as part of a creative dialogue about HIV/AIDS |
| Planet Earth Planet Art | Mirca Art Group artists book - Contributing Artist and Editor |
| Logical Unsanity, Australia | Inclusion of Visionary work in the Spring '08 edition |
| Freedom & Art | Mirca Art Group artists book - Contributing Artist |
| Visionary Revue, France | Six pieces from the ::salviaspace:: project |
| Entheogen Review, CA, USA | Inclusion of two pieces from the ::salviaspace:: project |
:: awards, recognition & permanent collections ::
Artworks in private collections across Germany, Israel, the USA and the UK |
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| Art Centre, Melkhoutfontein, Western Cape, South Africa | Mural design paintings in permanent community collection |
| Private Collections, Cologne & Witten, Germany | Several Dual-Image artworks from the Hidden Light series |
| ArtsMix* Emerging Artists Award, Leeds, UK | Winner of Fine Art 2D Practitioner Award |
| Durban Art Gallery & Municipal Collection, Durban, South Africa | Blombos: We Are All South African accepted into permanent collections |
| Flesh Open Exhibition, YCC, Bradford, UK | Co-winner of Merit Award with ...Flesh Alone |
| Inspired By World Heritage, Saltaire, Bradford, UK | First Prize Winner with Five Mountains |
| Negev Jeep Karkom Tours, Mitzpe Ramon, Israel | Negev Rock Art series in permanent collection |
:: memberships ::
| Dreams & Divinities | Initiative to bring visionary and surrealist artforms to global venues |
| Visionary Artists Group | International network of artists working in the visionary, the imaginal and the surreal |
| Archetypal Expressionism Group | Select group of artists seeking a 'third-way' dynamic between figurative and abstract |
