Rupert Hartley (b. UK) is a British artist based in Hove, East Sussex.
Originally trained in Printed Textile Design at the Glasgow School of Art he later went on to complete an MA in Art in Architecture at the University of East London, a programme that expanded the scope of his work connecting his interests in both art and architecture. This interest has consistently informed his work over the years, initially through publicly -sited art projects alongside his teaching roles, and then following a residency at the Centre for Drawing, Wimbledon school of art shifting to a studio based practice.
In recent years Hartley’s work has centred around painting and colour. Using both playful and systematic processes, he revisits and reinterprets formalist traditions within painting—recently in relation to the grid. His paintings are often produced in series, working both on and off stretcher and range from intimate works on paper to large-scale canvases and wall-based installations.
His work has been exhibited widely in solo and group exhibitions across the UK and internationally. Notable recent exhibitions include:
Concrete Art, Pulchri Studio, The Hague, Netherlands. (2024)
Hard Paper, Phoenix Art Space, Brighton. (2024)
Inter-scenic, Nordic Art Agency, Malmö, Sweden. (2023)
contact: ruperthartley1@gmail.com
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SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2025
Wash of Light, BN9 Studio, Marine Workshops, Newhaven.
‘Postcards for Seyðisfjörður’, LungA School, Iceland.
2024
Concrete Art, Pulchri Studio, The Hague, Netherlands.
Rising in the start of its arc, 19a Gallery, Brighton.
Hard Paper, Phoenix Art Space, Brighton.
2023
Sublieme Vormtaal Minimale, Icoon Museum, Netherlands.
Inter-scenic, Nordic Art Agency, Malmö, Sweden.
Minim.AL longing for Donal Judd, Icoon Museum, Netherlands.
Niagra Falls, Returns, Dodo Gallery, Brighton.
The Cottage of Modern Art, Brighton.
2022
Outfields, 57W57Arts, New York.
This Year’s Model, Studio 1.1 Gallery, London.
Outfields, Studio 50 Hove, Brighton.
Binary, Terrace Gallery, London and Shift Gallery, Cardiff.
KickOff – Volume 0, Contemporary Art Chronicle, Online.
2021
This Year’s Model, Studio 1.1 Gallery, London.
The Cottage of Modern Art, Brighton.
On some faraway beach, Back Room Gallery, Copland Park, London.
Together Through Painting, London Paint Club, Online.
The Land of Sol, Sol Space, Nouic, France.
2020
Hastings Open 2020, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hastings.
2019
A Hand Stuffed Mattress, Terrace Gallery, London.
Near Misses, Studio 50 Hove, Brighton.
Well’s Art Contemporary, Wells Cathedral, Somerset.
This Year’s Model, Studio 1.1 Gallery, London.
2018
Billboard Commission, Constructor’s Gallery, London.
The Abstract Show, Well Hung Gallery, London.
Summer Salon, Islington Arts Factory, London.
2017
Draw the Line, Surface Gallery, Nottingham.
2016
Flag Commission, Usher Gallery, Lincoln.
30 Works 30 Days, 12oCollective, London.
2015
Flick, Triangle Space, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London..
Thinking/Making, Curious Gallery, Eastbourne.
On Photocopy, 44AD Gallery, Bath.
The Red Files, Schwartz Gallery, London E9.
30 Works 30 Days, 12o Collective, London.
Pop Living, Schwartz Gallery, London E9.
2014
Blind Searches, Bloc Projects billboard commission, Sheffield.
Misalignments, Pilotschannel.org, Online.
2012
Filling in the Blanks, X Marks the Bokship, London E2.
2011
100 things not worth repeating: on repetition.
Book contribution edited by Marianne Holm Hansen.
Performance reading, X Marks the Bokship, London.
Drawing in Space, Architectural Association, London.
2010
Salon Art Prize, Matt Roberts Arts, Vyner St. London.
First Contexts, Manifest Gallery, Ohio, USA.
Daumenkino - thumb cinema, Bookart bookshop, London.
2009
Artist in Residence, The Centre for Drawing, Wimbledon College of Art, UAL.
In Their Own Words, Bank Street Arts, Sheffield.
2008
Conflux 2008, The Centre for Architecture, New York.
Time and Space,The Bowery, Leeds.
2007
From Outside, St.Brides, St.Mary le Bow, All Hallows by the Tower, City of London.
Public Pages, Portland Square Building, University of Plymouth.
Conflux 2007, The Change You Want To See, Williamsburg, New York.