1989_06_JUN_01_D.jpgThese pages are designed to give a simple and general overview of the artist's output during the first three decades of his career.

Born in Sunderland, Paul Brewster began his career based in his native North-East of England, but after some relative successes, including helping to establish affordable studio space and developing exhibition’s venues at The Bunker in his home town, he felt the need to uproot to develop his practice further. After a valuable spell of four years living in Cambridgeshire while exhibiting in and around London, he moved to Poland in 2004 where he spent three exciting years living and working in Warsaw followed by a year in Białystok near the border of Belarus until his move back to Newcastle upon Tyne in 2008 where he continues to work, expanding his interest in painting, digital processes, photography, video and writing.

During his time in Cambridgeshire Brewster was represented by E1 Gallery in London and held a brief position at Cambridge University as a PGSE student only to reject the idea in favour of pursuing his own practice. To supplement this he worked as a part-time lecturer in art while holding down a full time job with Trilogy Laser Craft in Huntingdon as part of the company’s artist/laser-operating team. During this period he began a number of new projects including a move into video and began developing techniques in his spare time working with Trilogy by utilizing the company’s state-of-the-art laser equipment.

To accommodate in his work what he calls ‘the latent facsimiles of self’, Brewster is anything but afraid to exploit what he believes to be the necessary tendency in us all towards a voyeuristic analysis in order to necessitate self tolerance and self recognition...

Often photographed then either reworked or even destroyed during the working process when most would see the results as complete his work continues to remain in flux. He concedes that what he produces is an acknowledgment of the need to collate particular references, often embracing unforeseen cultural taboos, in order to fulfil the un-played 'desires' of the individual. He goes on to say, ‘it’s not so much the desire to befriend that counts, but whatever it is that attracts and intrigues - the bits that we recognize within or even beyond the extremities which lie unused in ourselves that count in adding a little to the veiled questions relating to the human condition’. En-route to a place the artist is often unsure of himself, in consequence, his work cuts across a variety of media depending on the given subject.

Throughout his professional career Brewster has continued to have both solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. In addition to this since his first exhibition in 1988, he has also been accepted on a regular basis for the BP Portrait Awards exhibited annually at The National Portrait Gallery, London. In 1995 and 1997 he was short-listed for the prestigious First Prize and was awarded a commendation on both of those occasions. His work is held in public and private collections throughout the UK, USA and Europe.


            national awards and prizes:

1997     BP Portrait Award – NPG – Short-listed for First Prize – Awarded Commendation
1995     BP Portrait Award – NPG – Short-listed for First Prize – Awarded Commendation
1995     Northern Arts Awards for Artists

1998     Northern Arts Awards for Artists
1985     Backhouse Prize for Drawing – First Prize

            exhibitions:

2010     VIDEO: She Loves Me - She Loves Me Not - MK4U Festival - Milton Keynes
2009     POLISH PHOTOS – Hanger 51 in conjunction with the Ouesburn Voluneers,  Newcastle
2007     OLD LAND – NOWY PEJZAŻ - [solo] – Filharmonia Podlaska, Białystok, Poland
2004     DEAD BABES [solo] – the GALLERY, Huntingdon
2002     ROYAL SOCIETY of PORTRAIT PAINTERS – Mall Galleries, London
2001     BP PORTRAIT AWARDS:           National Portrait Gallery, London
                                                            The New Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
1999     VITAL ART – e1 Gallery @ Gallery 77, Cowcross Street, London
1999     LOCAL AMNESIA [solo] – Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
1999     SELF PORTRAIT – The Brewery Gallery, Kendal
1999     NEWCASTLE X – University of Northumbria, Newcastle
1998     BP PORTRAIT AWARDS:           National Portrait Gallery, London
                                                            Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen
1998     MYTHICAL REALISM – e1 Gallery @ Coningsby Gallery, London
1997     FABULOUS TRANSGRESSIONS – Vardy Gallery, Sunderland
1997     BP PORTRAIT AWARDS:           National Portrait Gallery, London
                                                            Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen
                                                            Ulster Museum, Belfast
                                                            Vardy Gallery, Sunderland
1996     BP PORTRAIT AWARDS:           National Portrait Gallery, London
                                                            Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen
1995     BP PORTRAIT AWARDS:           National Portrait Gallery, London
                                                            Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen
1994     FROM A NEW CITY – Washington Arts Centre, Washington
1994     THE EQUIVOCAL SELF [solo] – University of Northumbria MA Shows, Newcastle
1993     LAING ART PRIZE – University Gallery, Newcastle
1993     DAS LAND [solo] – Simmons, Anderson and Ramshaw, Sunderland
1992     NORTHERN PSYCHE [4 person show] – Gray Gallery, Hartlepool
1992     THE ROMANTIC BODY [solo] – Capers Gallery, Sunderland
1991     ART ON LOAN II – Northern Centre for Contemporary Art, Sunderland
1990     NEW BRITISH ART:      Blue Stone Gallery, Anchusa U.S.A.
                                                Trump Castle Casino, Atlantic City U.S.A.
1990     ARTISTS AT THE BUNKER [3 person show] – Middlesbrough Art Gallery, Middlesbrough
1988     ART IN SUNDERLAND – Sunderland Museum & Art Gallery, Sunderland

            art related qualifications:

1994     MA Fine Art, University of Northumbria
1985     BA (Hon) Fine Art (2-1), Sunderland Polytechnic

            work held in public collections @

            Tyne and Wear Museum & Art Galleries
            University of Sunderland
            Sunderland Town Hall & Civic Centre
            European Union Government Buildings, Brussels


For sales and work completed in the last year visit his website HERE at SAATCHI ONLINE

To catch up on his most recent output, including photographs, news, views and general chat, you can do so by visiting the artist on facebook

Video Art produced by Paul Brewster can be viewed HERE on YouTube

... And you can contact the Artist direct at  paul.brewster@hotmail.com

 
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