Charles Richardson – interview: ‘There must be some sort of desire in me to hold onto something’

The artist talks about his show at Exeter Phoenix, collaborating with local artists, the importance of music in his work, and whether the physical informs the virtual, or the other way around

Since completing his MA in fine art at Slade School of Fine Art in 2014, Charles Richardson (b1979) is considered by many as one of the fastest rising stars on the contemporary British art scene. Having won the 2014 Saatchi New Sensations Prize, Richardson has gone on to exhibit around the world, including at Art Basel in Miami Beach (2014), the New Art Dealers Alliance in New York (2015), and the Zabludowicz Collection in London (2015).

His work may be digitally based, but Richardson plays with the boundaries of the physical and the virtual at every opportunity, resulting in a heady mixture of both realities. He has become synonymous with the 3D figures he produces, which often feature himself, acquaintances and even curators he has worked with wrapped in various everyday objects with tape. His work chiefly concerns itself with themes of male identity, social digitisation and contemporary cultural uncertainty.

Studio International visited Exeter Phoenix to talk to Richardson about the exhibition in light of the talk and special performance that occurred that day.

Charles Richardson: Displacement Behaviour
Exeter Phoenix, Exeter
18 March – 30 April 2016

Interviewed by ALEXANDER GLOVER
Filmed by MARTIN KENNEDY