安東尼?夏普蘭被選入由《當代 》（Contemporary ）全球雜志編輯所評選的“50位國際視覺藝術新秀”。 他是一位有著穩定性和耐久性藝術家，成功地向大眾展示了他的多重角色：策展人、畫廊業主和藝術家。
Anthony Shapland has been named one of 50 international emerging visual artists selected by the global network of contributing editors of Contemporary magazine.
In the hustle and bustle of the quick-fire contemporary art world, consistency and durability are not the sexiest of buzzwords. Anthony Shapland is a consistent and durable presence in Cardiff and beyond, showing an admirable bloody-mindedness in his multiple roles as curator, gallery owner and, most importantly, as an artist. This juggling of roles could lead to a drop in quality. However, over the past year Shapland has increased his output on all fronts with confident results.
The majority of Shapland’s work exists in transitory moments, most notably between the change from day into night and vice versa. Rise (2003) charts these moments in the wait for a street lamp to flicker into action. While initially bland, the expectancy becomes tense until an initial spark flickers before giving way to an almost celebratory orange glow.
Shapland works with the thresholds of blandness and boredom. These are played out in times and spaces that are generally considered invisible or overlooked. He uses this to his advantage, playing on the expectations of his audience. The lack of apparent action forces the viewer to counter this stillness, adding their own layer of narrative. In Nightworkers (2005) we watch as night porters, nurses and other people who work the night shift sleep through the day; Spectate (2004) shows a darkened cinema’s audience uncomfortably waiting for the film to start.
Shapland has shown steadily in the UK for the past few years in artist-led initiatives and consistently larger group shows in Leeds, London, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Cardiff. He has also been making international inroads in Canada, France, Germany, Lithuania, and the Czech Republic. Through his constant and durable approach to making work, he has now reached an encouraging and exciting stage of his career. I nominated Shapland for this annual simply because Nocturne is my favourite work from 2005. Shown alongside Rise, it was simple, direct and brutal. The sun goes up, the sun goes down, people get up, and people fall down.
