Derek Sullivan (born 1976) is a contemporary visual artist from Toronto, Ontario. Sullivan’s multidisciplinary practice employs drawing, sculpture, book works, and installation to engage with the legacy of modernist art and design.[1] He is currently an Assistant Professor in Sculpture/Installation at OCAD University.[2]
Derek Sullivan, Albatross Omnibus (installation view) 2011, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto
Art Practice
Sullivan's art practice is characterized by its interdisciplinarity. Of the artist, Canadian Art Magazine writes, "employs drawing, painting, sculpture, book works and installation to question familiar forms and genres, often to examine the links between one discipline and the next."[3]
Books and the act of reading have consistently been central to Sullivan's practice. This interest was apparent in the 2011 exhibition Albatross Omnibus at The Power Plant;[4] where Sullivan hung 52 limited-edition books from one of the gallery's ceilings; and within his limited edition publication, Lynn Valley 8, a series of 40 books co-produced by Bywater Bros. Editions and Presentation House Gallery in 2013 [5] which are only two of the seventy plus Artists Publications Sullivan has produced.[6]
In 2012, Sullivan was a shortlisted for the Sobey Art Award, Canada's largest award for young artists.[12] He was also nominated for the award in 2009, 2011, and 2015.
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