Ashley Bickerton

Ashley Bickerton is a highly influential contemporary artist known for his innovative and provocative works that challenge traditional notions of art, identity, consumerism, and globalization. He is recognized as a mixed-media virtuoso, frequently fusing photographic and painterly components alongside industrial and discovered object assemblages. His artistic identity is closely intertwined with the Neo-Geo art movement that emerged in the early 1980s.

Biography of Ashley Bickerton

Ashley Bickerton was born in 1959 in Barbados. During his upbringing, he lived in multiple countries spanning four continents. The Bickerton family eventually found a permanent home in Hawaii in 1972.

After earning his degree from the California Institute of the Arts in 1982, Bickerton relocated to New York City to participate in the Whitney Museum Independent Study Program.

Having showcased his work in New York for several years, he gained recognition by participating in a notable four-person exhibition at the Sonnabend Gallery in 1986. This exhibition included other prominent artists such as Jeff Koons, Peter Halley, and Meyer Vaisman.

Bickerton obtained U.S. citizenship in the mid-1980s. After spending twelve significant years in New York City, where he forged his artistic path, he ultimately found his home on the tranquil island of Bali in 1993.

In 2004, his presence was notable in "East Village USA," an exhibition hosted by The New Museum, which celebrated "Neo-Geo" artists, including Bickerton.

In 2009, his artistic journey led him to the prestigious Tate Modern in London, where his creations were showcased as part of the influential exhibition "Pop Life: Art in a Material World." The following year saw his work featured in the exhibition "Collecting Biennials" at the Whitney Museum of American Art, further solidifying his position within the contemporary art landscape.

In April 2014, Bickerton orchestrated his inaugural solo exhibition at the Gajah Gallery.

From April to August 2017, Bickerton's inaugural retrospective in the United Kingdom took place at the Newport Street Gallery in London. Titled "Ornamental Hysteria," this comprehensive exhibition showcased over three decades of the artist's career, featuring a total of 51 artworks.

Ashley Bickerton's artistic creations have found a home in esteemed institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain in Paris, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Berardo Collection Museum in Lisbon, Portugal, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

In 2022, Bickerton died due to complications arising from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Ashley Bickerton's Art Style

Ashley Bickerton's art style is a captivating fusion of self-aware grotesquery and incisive critique of capitalism. In his works, one can discern a deliberate and thought-provoking exploration of the interplay between form and meaning.

His initial artistic output is characterized by the prominent presence of corporate logos and compositions designated as "Self-Portraits," "Commercial Pieces," or "Anthropospheres." These pieces commonly consist of assemblages that meld technological or industrial components with incorporated found materials and screen-printed iconographic visuals.

Collaborating with the Singapore Tyler Print Institute, Bickerton crafted mixed-media artworks depicting eerie green-skinned creatures emerging from a sea strewn with cans and bottles.

In 2014, a new artistic chapter began with the introduction of the Silver Ladies series. These captivating pieces materialize as double portraits of two identical figures—exquisite Balinese women adorned solely by a floral sash around their hips and crowns of tropical blossoms. Their unadorned skin and elegantly coiled dreadlocks are transformed into a glossy silver hue, while their lips burst with vibrant colors. The inaugural piece of this series bears the title "2 C (A)W E2 P.G. 2 T(B) W.

With a keen awareness of the distortions within his creations, Bickerton's artworks serve as a critical commentary on capitalism while also addressing pertinent concerns within contemporary art, particularly the commodification of the art object itself.