Julian Aubrey

Bio

Julian Aubrey (b. 1969, Kuwait) is an interdisciplinary visual artist who primarily works in printmaking, photography and video. After receiving a BA Hons in Printmaking from Leeds Metropolitan University, Julian continued his artistic education at the University of Colorado Boulder. Whilst living in Bahrain from 1994-2010, he began to incorporate photography into his work. He continued to develop his visual practice at the Tashkeel artist space in Dubai during 2011.

Julian’s work is heavily influenced by his own transnational history. Raised in Kuwait until the age of 15, he has lived in Cyprus, Colorado, Bahrain, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan. He is currently based in England. Julian was situated in the Middle East during pivotal times in the region’s history, when economic and population growth precipitated by oil booms rapidly altered its form and character, signified by changes in its architectural language. 

Over the years, Julian has created several bodies of work which explore where culture and architecture intersect. His archive of documentary street photography serves as source material for his experiments in photomanipulation, collage and montage. 

Drive Bys

When I resided in Bahrain from 1994-2010, I explored the country’s small group of islands with my car and my camera. I discovered pockets of the islands resting in the shadow of change.  Many of these images were made following a series of drive-bys, in which I scouted out interesting sites visible from the perspective of my car window. Whilst people are mostly absent in these landscapes, their presence is felt in the structures and facades that quietly await their return.

Reimagined

Using multiple images from my photographic archive in each of these layered constructions, shapes, lines and marks perform chance encounters. The works disassemble and obscure any definitive time and place, forming new, imagined narratives.