Stephen Marshall: The Ocean is Dark Until I Held It In My Hand

For Stephen Marshall, tradition is not a historical concept; it is an unavoidable aspect of the contemporary. Through woodcuts, sculptures and the spaces between them, Marshall sets the stage for an encounter with a personal yet universal history of experience.

This is Marshall's first exploration into three dimensional work and large scale reduction colour woodcuts. His large and colourful prints are full of detail; each a collage of images that have resonated in the artist’s mind and converged to form a narrative. The rich pictorial landscape demands that time be spent looking; exploring the layers and reflecting on their immediate and collective meaning.