About

Born in Maidstone, Kent and currently based in Manchester. Steve Whitewood is a figurative painter predominantly working with oil paint which he uses to analyse and experiment with the materiality of paint by realising abstract spaces and placing figures in the foreground either individually or in group scenarios. 

 

The wider context of his practice is the blurred lines between appearing performative or authentic during lived experiences calling into question whether someone or something is or isn't authentic in terms of behaviour, which when presented in a concise and impactful format with emphasise on mark-making and colour theory allows the viewer to give their full attention to the image and ponder on its connotations. In an increasingly inauthentic world Whitewood’s work urges the viewer to confront this distorted scale that we see in so many areas of life, the art world included; hence why much of his source material is derived from gallery and museum scenarios. 

 

Whitewood grew up in Maidstone however, moved to Manchester in 2019 to pursue a BA in Fine Art at Manchester School of Art, while there he experimented with different painting techniques and explored a range of themes leading to his current practice. Since graduating in 2022 he has remained in living and working in Manchester and has gone on to show his work in galleries across the city including HOME, Bury Art Museum and Longsight Art Space.