Seth Birchall’s paintings conjure meditative worlds that pulse with colour and life. His fictitious landscapes—composed from found photographs as well as sketches and memories of Australia and Bali—reflect a biophilic urge to connect with other life forms in nature. Drawing inspiration from a wealth of rich and unexpected sources, including romantic notions of landscape throughout art history, Birchall offers a contemporary twist on the gestural brushwork, moody light, and colour play of Expressionism and Impressionism.
Selected Works
Overview
oil on canvas
155 × 122cm
oil on canvas
183 x 153 cm
Photography by Jessica Maurer
oil on canvas
153 × 122 cm
Photography by Jessica Maurer
oil on canvas
199 x 183 cm
Photography by Simon Hewson
oil on canvas
184 x 244 cm
oil on canvas
40.5 x 30.5 cm
Photography by Jessica Maurer
oil on canvas
41 × 36cm
Exhibitions
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About
Seth Birchall
Biography
Seth Birchall’s paintings conjure meditative worlds that pulse with colour and life. His fictitious landscapes—composed from found photographs as well as sketches and memories of Australia and Bali—reflect a biophilic urge to connect with other life forms in nature. Drawing inspiration from a wealth of rich and unexpected sources, including romantic notions of landscape throughout art history, Birchall offers a contemporary twist on the gestural brushwork, moody light, and colour play of Expressionism and Impressionism.
His paintings entwine subtle nods to the atmospheric effects in works by Australian Tonalists such as Clarice Beckett, Romantic artist William Blake’s electrifying scenes of heaven and earth, 19th century French paintings, and Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the ‘floating world’. These varied references collide in compositions that seem to shape-shift before your eyes, drawing viewers into the depths of a complex interior universe. His works act as portals for looking both inward to psychological states and outward to the natural world.
Seth Birchall is of dual Australian and American nationalities. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the National Art School and a Master of Arts from the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales.
Birchall’s latest body of work was debuted in the 2024 Adelaide Biennial, Inner Sanctum, curated by José da Silva at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Recent selected solo exhibitions include The Moon Under Water, Sullivan+Strumpf (2023); The Garden is Watered, Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney (2022); Happiness and Health, Verge Gallery, University of Sydney (2021); Bully Boy, Kleinerfelt Melbourne (2020); Assorted Woods, Artereal Gallery Sydney (2019); Holding Hands, Colossal Youth Exhibitions, Brooklyn, USA (2019); and CODE Art Fair, Copenhagen (2018).
In 2024, Birchall was awarded a residency at Bundanon, and received the Dobell Foundation Artist in Residence Award. Past residencies include Artspace, Sydney (2020), and Bega Valley Regional Gallery (2020). He has been a finalist in numerous prizes including the Bayside Painting Prize (2024), Mosman Art Price, (2023), Len Fox Painting Award (2019), Bayside Acquisitive Art Prize (2019), Glover Art Prize, Tasmania (2019) and Geelong Contemporary Art Prize (2018).
Seth Birchall pictured in his studio, photographed by Jessica Maurer
Sullivan+Strumpf acknowledge the Indigenous People of this land, the traditional custodians on whose Country we work, live and learn. We pay respect to Elders, past and present, and recognise their continued connection to culture, land, waters and community.