Vaughan Grylls was born in Newark, Nottinghamshire in 1943. He studied at Nottingham, Wolverhampton, Goldsmiths and the Slade School of Fine Art.
Grylls is a photographer and sculptor. His early work consisted of ‘pun-sculptures’, which were noticed by Jasia Reichart who went on to offer him his first gallery show in London, at the ICA in 1970. His exhibition was described as having ‘delicious verbal wit’. In 1977, his work took a more serious turn and he began to make huge photo-collages, addressing key historical and political issues. In 1983, the art critic William Feaver wrote of his work: ‘The sites Vaughan Grylls chooses for his elaborate photographic inspections are those where ‘X’ marked the spot. ‘X ‘ for where the Führer stood, Oswald aimed, the boat exploded, the panic began’.
Grylls’s work has been shown at the Institute of Contemporary Art, The Photographer’s Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery, the Arnolfini and Sadler’s Wells. He is represented in several public collections including Unilever, Polaroid and the Arts Council of Wales. Grylls was Head of Art and Design at the University of Wolverhampton (1989-1996). He went on to be Director of the Kent Institute of Art and Design until 2005, when he co-founded the University for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester. Grylls now divides his time between London, Kent and Italy.
Grylls is a photographer and sculptor. His early work consisted of ‘pun-sculptures’, which were noticed by Jasia Reichart who went on to offer him his first gallery show in London, at the ICA in 1970. His exhibition was described as having ‘delicious verbal wit’. In 1977, his work took a more serious turn and he began to make huge photo-collages, addressing key historical and political issues. In 1983, the art critic William Feaver wrote of his work: ‘The sites Vaughan Grylls chooses for his elaborate photographic inspections are those where ‘X’ marked the spot. ‘X ‘ for where the Führer stood, Oswald aimed, the boat exploded, the panic began’.
Grylls’s work has been shown at the Institute of Contemporary Art, The Photographer’s Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery, the Arnolfini and Sadler’s Wells. He is represented in several public collections including Unilever, Polaroid and the Arts Council of Wales. Grylls was Head of Art and Design at the University of Wolverhampton (1989-1996). He went on to be Director of the Kent Institute of Art and Design until 2005, when he co-founded the University for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester. Grylls now divides his time between London, Kent and Italy.
The Piper Gallery 2012