Simon Willems
Motivational Pull - Oil & arylic on linen, 60 x60 cm, 2015
Simon Willems
Born Shoreham-by-sea (UK), November 1971
Education
2013 – PhD Fine Art, University of Reading
1998-00 MA (RCA) Painting, Royal College of Art
1991-94 BA (hons) Fine Art –1st Class, Nottingham Trent UniversitySELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015 Universal solutions incorporated, Xero, Kline & Coma, London
Universal solutions incorporated, Galerie Polaris, Paris
2012 Rogue elements, Michel Soskine Inc. Madrid, Spain
2011 A certain way to fade Torrance Art Museum, Los Angeles, USA
All things for all people Villa Saint-Cyr, Bourg-La-Reine, France
A certain way to fade Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
2010 Altitude sickness Elaine Levy Project, Brussels, Belgium
How not to disappear completely Galleri SE, Bergen Norway
2009 Altitude sickness Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Charm offensive, Het Oude Raadhuis, Hoofddorp, Netherlands
2008 The advantages of failure, Vegas Gallery, London, UK
Cloud music, Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Determinator, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
2006 You must enjoy it like this, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Don’t go weird on me, Mark Moore Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2005 Strangeways here we come, Wallspace , New York, USA
2004 Recent cave painting and other exploits, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Bad things even happen to nice people, FRAC Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand, France
2002 Folk law, Percymiller Gallery, London, UK
2001 Death to the archers, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Percymiller Gallery, London, UK
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014 Collection Gilles Balmet, Le Vog Centre D’art Contemporain, Fontaine, France
Summer Saloon Lion & Lamb Gallery, London (touring to Aldeburgh Beach South Lookout, Suffolk)
Si on n'a pas vu le bonheur dans l’image, on en verra le noir ( Sans soleil - Chris Marker ) Galerie Polaris in collaboration with Galerie Anne Barault (curated by Ramuntcho Matta) Paris, France
2013 Sitting with the qualities of a mountain, Blyth Gallery, Imperial College, London
Pratique 2: La Coleur Code Noir FRAC Haute-Normandie, Rouen, France (curated by Lidewij Edelkoort)
ARCO Madrid
2012 Let the world slip Lion & Lamb Gallery, London
Verlan, Twelve Around One Gallery, London
2011 Et Plus Si Affinités Artothèque de Caen, Caen, France
Caras y Máscaras. Identidad Primitiva y Contemporánea (Faces: Primitive and Modern Identities) Michel Soskine Inc. Madrid, Spain
LVM (La Vie Moderne) exposition d’oeuvres du FRAC Haute-Normandie
Diep festival de la Côte d’Albâtre – Château-Museé, Dieppe, France
Please drive slowly through our village, FOLD gallery, London, UK
Drawing now Paris, Art Brussels, MACO Mexico City (art fairs)
2010 Library of Babel/ In and out of place Project 176 (Zabludowicz collection) London
(curated by Anna-Catharina Gebbers) UK
Art of Giving, (Fundraiser) Saatchi Gallery, London UK
Fifty ways to keep your lover Galleri SE,Bergen, Norway
An impossible Match Galerie Polaris, Paris, France (curated by Liberty Roy)
Extension du domaine de la realite Ecole Regionale des Beaux Arts de Rennes, France
Book of Brilliant things Elaine Levy Project, Brussels, Belgium
House of Fairy tales Millenium Gallery, St.Ives , UK
Exquisite Trove (House of Fairy tales) Newlyn Art Gallery, UK
Art Copenhagen (art fair)
2009 Exquisite Trove (House of Fairy tales) The New Art Gallery Walsall, UK
Polari, Vegas Gallery London, UK
Horn of Plenty (House of Fairy Tales), Viktor Wynd Fine Art inc. London, UK
(des)accords communs FRAC Haute-Normandie, Rouen, France
I am by birth a Genovese, Galerie Forde Esapce D’art Contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland
Take the A train, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Enjoy Grusenmeyer Art Gallery, Deurle, Belgium
The Open West, Summerfield Gallery, Pitville studios, Uni. of Gloucestershire, UK
No end in sight Vegas Gallery London, UK
Salon du dessin contemporain, Paris, France (art fair)
2008 London Calling Grusenmeyer Art Gallery, Duerle, Belgium
Awopbopaloobop, Transition Gallery, London, UK
Terra Firma FOLD Gallery, London, UK
Fake ID Vegas Gallery, London, UK
L’experience utile, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Drawings Peacock Projects - Pullens Yard, London, UK
No end in sight Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Project (OR) Centrifugal Projects (art fair) Art Brussels
2007 Galleri SE, Bergen, Norway
Inter-view - galleryThe space, Seoul, South Korea
Ground zero, size zero, Vegas Gallery, London, UK
A travers le miroir (le secret) Musee d’art et d’Archeolgie, Aurillac, France
LA-Art in New York, Art Brussels, Art Chicago, Pulse-London, FIAC Paris, Salon du dessin contemporain Paris, Pulse Miami (art fairs)
2006 Flow Charting Raid Projects, Los Angeles, USA
London Elsewhere Galerie Bernhard Knaus, Manheim, Germany
Mon de l’ouvre – l’ouvre Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Mark Moore Gallery Presents at Rokeby, London, UK
Une simple question de temps, FRAC Auvergne Musee Crozatier, Le Puy-en-Velay, France
Art Brussels, Pulse-New York, Art Copenhagen, FIAC Paris, Pulse-Miami, NADA Art fair Miami
2005 Extensions du paysage FRAC Auvergne - Espace Boudeville, Dompierre sur Besbre, France
FIAC Paris, Art Rotterdam, NADA Artfair Maimi (art fairs)
2004 39 Xmas show –, 39 Mitchell St – London, UK
Soleil Vert FRAC Auvergne, Musse D’art Roger Quillot, France
Sale et Sucre - Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Art Brussels, FIAC Paris, NADA Artfair Miami (art fairs)
2003 Side Track -, Percy Miller Gallery, London, UK
Sale et Sucre –, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Western Spaghetti (Les nouveaux conquerants) FRAC Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand, France
La Maitre des ombres –, Fonds d’art et Contemporain, Montlucon, France
Artissima Bologna, FIAC Paris, Art Brussels (art fairs)
2002 Four Colleges (A T Kearney HQ), London, UK
Reverbere Gallery, Lyon , France
Art Brussels, FIAC Paris, Art Turin, Art Cologne (art fairs)
2001 Miniature Madness –, Winkley St Studios, London, UK
Art Brussels, FIAC Paris (art fairs)
2000 Recent Works, Galerie Polaris, Paris, France
Soft & Gentle, Gallery Westland Place, London, UK
Assembly-Project, Jubilee Street (Whitechapel), London, UK
Together Again, Pumphouse Gallery, London, UK
En-route Galerie Claudia Gros-selbeck, Dusseldorf, Germany
FIAC Paris(art fair)
1999 RCA Group Show, Ecole des Beaux Arts, Paris, France
1996 Gilchrist Fisher Award, Cadogan Contemporary, London UK
1993 Just Found, St.Baafsabdij (Gent) Belgium
CURATORIAL PROJECTS
2014 City Lit Art Screenings, The Conservatoire, London
2013 Sitting with the qualities of a mountain, Blyth Gallery (Imperial College) London
2012 Let the world slip, Lion & Lamb Gallery, London
2011 Please drive slowly through our village, Fold Gallery, London
2009 No end in sight, Vegas Gallery, London
2008 No end in sight, Galerie Polaris, Paris
2001 Miniature Madness, Winkley Street Studios, London
2000 Soft and gentle, Gallery Westland Place, London
SELECTED BOOKS & CATALOGUES
2014 The Return of the Subject: Contemporary Figurative Painting (Laurence King)
2011 All things for all people, Villa Saint-Cyr, Bourge-la-Reine, France (catalogue)
2011 A Certain Way to Fade, Galerie Polaris, Paris (catalogue)
2010 Altitude sickness, Galerie Polaris (Paris) & Elaine levy Project (Brussels)
2010 Library of Babel/ In and Out of Place - Project 176, Zabludowicz Collection
2009 Traits pour traits FRAC Haute-Normandie - Drawings from the collection
2008 Cloud Music Mark Moore Gallery, Santa Monica (catalogue)
2006 Vous Etes Ici FRAC Auvergne 2000-2006
2004 Simon Willems – Bad things even happen to nice people FRAC Auvergne
SELECTED ARTICLES & REVIEWS
21st Sept 2012 Pablo Sobisch – ‘El Pais’ (magazine) Galerias p.39 (Spain)
Winter 2011/12 The Drawer: Volume 2 La Métamorphose (France) p.52-7
December 2011 Sioux Magazine (California) p. 2-4
October 2011 Rebecca Geldard – ‘Art Review’ Please drive slowly through our village p.134
April 17th 2011 Emmanuelle Lequex -‘Le Monde’ (Culture)– (France)
October 2010 Caroline Laurent ‘Liberation’ (Blog) Les paysages figures de Simon Willems
Sep 10th 2010 Claude Lorent – ‘LaLibre Belgique’ (Culture) p.9
Summer 2010 Elephant magazine – Simon Willems Storm-trooper mourning the loss of his mother p.104-9
Oct 18-19th 2009 Emmanuelle Lequex -‘Le Monde’ (Culture)– (France) –p.21
May 30th 2009 Samantha Deman – Semeur de troubles Les amisde Cimasie.fr (online)
Fall/Winter 2008 Eve Wood – ‘Art US’ Simon Willems at Mark Moore Gallery p.76
Autumn 2008 Ken Pratt- Only when I laugh – Simon Willems – WOUND magazine p.261-5
September 2008 Allison Gibson – ‘Beautiful Decay’ Cloud Music at Mark Moore gallery p.10
May 2008 critiCAL – ‘ARTslant Los Angeles’ Cloud Music at Mark Moore Gallery (online)
March 23rd 2007 Valerie Duponchelle, ‘Le Figaro’ (online)
Dec 2005 Art Review - Bright Young Things - p.103
May-Sep 2004Eric Fayet – ‘Flashart’ – At the galleries – p.53
April 17th 2004La Montagne Celebrer l’irrecevable (France)
Nov 1st 2002 Jessica Lack – ‘The Guardian’ (The Guide – Previews) – p.35
Dec 10th-17th 2001 ‘A Nous Paris’ – N. 117 (France)
Nov 28-Dec 4 2001 Emmanuelle Lequex -‘Le Monde’ (Aden) ‘Les Arts’ – (France) –p.27
June 13-20th 2001 Jim Healy – ‘What’s On’ p.25
June 11th2001 Jessica Lack – ‘The Guardian’ (G2) ‘Picks of the week’ – p.18
May 2001 Art Review – p.55
20 Aug 2000 Charlotte Mullins – The New Sensation – Independent on Sunday
12th Jan 1996Iain Gale – ‘The Week’ (Issue 32), p.18
6th Jan 1996 Iain Gale – ‘The Independent’
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Art Review
Artothèque de Caen, (France)
British Airways Collection
Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York
David Roberts Collection
Fondation COLAS, (France)
FRAC Auvergne (France)
FRAC Haute-Normandie (France)
Frederick Weisman Foundation
Leonard Nimoy Collection
Royal College of Art, London
Ville de Bourg-la-Reine, (France)
Zabludowicz Collection
Various Private Collections worldwide