He rarely gives interviews and hates explaining his work \u2013 yet his stunning paintings, inspired by subcultures and German Romanticism, reveal a lot about this reclusive Canadian<\/p>\n
Steven Shearer is a quiet man. He\u2019s elusive, too, shy and reclusive. He is difficult to pin down for an interview. And once you have, it is tough to get him talking. Maybe the Canadian artist thinks his work \u2013 spanning 40 years and multiple media, including stunning paintings of long-haired teens, collages of appropriated images, and billboard-sized poetry inspired by heavy metal lyrics \u2013 speaks for itself. But Shearer\u2019s work doesn\u2019t really speak, at least not clearly; it mumbles awkwardly into its sleeve like a goth at a family Easter picnic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wrote down lots of potential things to say,\u201d he says from his immaculate white studio in Vancouver, ahead of his show at David Zwirner Gallery in London, his first UK exhibition since 2007, \u201cbut it\u2019s not my nature. All the hope or will to be able to communicate kind of goes into the pictures. And I try to stay out of the way once that\u2019s happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
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