Derek Ogbourne

Derek Ogbourne - Biography 

Derek Ogbourne (born 3rd February 1964 in High Wycombe) is a British visual artist. Ogbourne's oeuvre is multi faceted and therefore difficult to define. His periods of production can be broken down to: Large organic paintings (early 1980s), interactive art installations (late 1980s), performance art (1990s), video and filmic narrative explorations (2000s to the present), and his museum installation entitled The Museum of Optography (2007- 2016). A return to painting from 2017 culminated in his Lockdown Series of 2020. 

Derek Ogbourne is best known for his exhilarating, sometimes violently physical works across all art forms, centred around an ongoing plot of big themes: physical life, vision, violence, death; landscape, beauty and the sublime. Pulsing with the strengths and frailties of what it is like to be human, his obsessive preoccupations result in deeply complex, emotionally engaging artworks, most evident in films such as Gravity and Others, Struggle, Magic Mountain and Death and the Monument. His project, The Museum of Optography preoccupied Ogbourne for nearly 10 years, his last works taking the form of large, violent heart stopping oak machines added to an inventory of nearly 300 artworks that comprise his museum. 

Ogbourne studied at Slade School of Fine Art in London (1981-89). While he was at UCL he was awarded the Rosa Morison and Jeremy Cubbit prizes. He teaches at Hampstead School of Art and occasionally at the Slade, while he has been visiting lecturer at most London Art schools including Goldsmiths and the Royal Academy. Exhibitions highlights include What Makes Me, What Makes You at the South London Gallery, Space International, Valencia, Spain and the Museum of Optography, The Purple Chamber at Sharjah Foundation, UAE. 

Currently Teaching at Hampstead School of Art and Open Age and Mini Picassos

2014-16 Artists In Residence at Hampstead School of Art

2005-08 University College for the Creative Arts, Canterbury (KIAD) Sessional tutor

2002-08 Co-head of Foundation Degree in Time Based Media (film and video) Cavendish College Tottenham Court Road, London W1 

1992 to the present: Art Foundation/Film and Video Department tutor,

Cavendish College and tutor at Hampstead School of Art

1992 Head of Art Foundation Department/Cavendish College

1990 Sculpture Teacher/Camden Institute

I have been involved with art education for over half of my life both as student and teacher/tutor, from 1981 to 1989 as a student and 1981 to the present as an artist. I have taught/lectured/tutored students from non-qualification, A’ Level, Pre-Foundation to B.A level for 30 years. At present, I am teaching at Hampstead School of Art, Mini Picassos and Openage and am highly active working on my own practice as an artist. Most of my teaching experience has been split between the colleges mentioned in the employment section in your form and as an occasional visiting lecturer at universities and colleges here and abroad, including The Slade, Goldsmiths, the Royal Academy, Wimbledon School of Art, Eye Amsterdam and The American University, U.A.E.

My specific educational experience has included: Formalised lectures, individual and group crits and seminars, from assessment and grading procedural to writing student references, staff meetings, support and compassion to vulnerable students, course/curriculum development and continuous development, Observation of Health and Safety Protocols, online teaching, implementation of new initiatives and extra curricular events. I ran the Pre-Foundation at Cavendish College (see the description of my duties earlier in this form) I love teaching with a passion and approach the task with enthusiasm and inventiveness. I do not have a teaching certificate but I would be willing to forward myself to acquire one if need be. 

I have taught younger students in preparation for A levels, and Foundation in preparation for Degree.  I gave tutorials to those in their first years of their degree at the Slade, this was invaluably reassuring for them as I had made the same journey as them and beyond when I was at the Slade years earlier. I knew the possibilities and pitfalls of working as an artist or other related professions in the Creative Industry landscape. Many of my students over the years have continued to higher educational levels attending some of the best Arts Schools in the country and beyond going on to become successful artists, filmmakers or fashion designers etc.

I have practiced and taught a wide range of fine art forms and methods, At present I have two general beginners classes and a life class for adults. I have a large back catalogue of structured courses to draw upon  that I have taught over the years, from theoretical subjects to more practical ones, these will be invaluable to draw upon and adapt where appropriate with this post. I would be perfectly comfortable teaching any one of the fine art courses you require staff for.  

Foremostly and most importantly a visual artist,  I have shown extensively in the UK and abroad, counting 33 solo exhibitions and 98 group exhibitions to date, as well as having curated shows which were well reviewed internationally and included lengthy catalogues. I also have extensive experience of working within the broader creative industries, whether that is working with galleries, to taking on commissions, being Artist in Residence to shipping art abroad, organising filming trips to shooting Fashion shows and editing them.   

My own personal work has evolved over the years through most forms of art practice, i.e, Painting, ( From Realism to Abstraction), Printmaking, Sculpture, Installation, Performance, Photography and Video/ Film Art, which gives me an unusually broad perspective for almost all art student practice. I have taken an energetic and active part of the International Art world for some years. My most recent film ‘Bison Hill’ has been winning in the film festivals all over the world ( I might add, unfortunately this is not winning in a financial way)

As is clear I have considerable experience in all aspects of professional art practice,  The list of my exhibitions, awards, publications and reviews can be seen in my website below under CV.

I have An Enhanced DBS and have my own car.
 

1983-89 Slade School of Fine Art

1987-89: HDFA (M.A) Mixed Media

1983-87: B.A. Painting

1981-83: Amersham College (O.N.D Fine Art, Bucks Art Dip)