Born, bred and based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Damien Fisher is a performance artist who attempts, through his work, to place himself in a space he calls the blur.

 

Damien Fisher graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 2018 with a first class degree in Fine Art. After his degree he was successful in his application for the Fine Art Bridge Scheme for the years of 2018/2019 funded by Making Ways.  

 

He has been exhibiting his work since 2015 and has created and curated exhibitions and events ever since. 

He has run experimental life drawing sessions, performed in the peak district, created a group to march alongside miners, co-formed a group around queer art conversation, performed nonstop for a month and has been delivered in bubble wrap and fragile tape to a group exhibition he was featured in. 

 

Damien has been on Sheffield Live talking about his work and has performed as part of Migration Matters Festival in 2019. His art is also part of Museum Sheffield’s collection. His practice is inspired by the events that occur within his life and he believes his practice is not just an art practice, it is a life practice. Damien’s material is his body and the experiences he has with it: there isn’t a separation where something becomes art, he is the art and the artist, and it’s the space in-between each of these entities that interests him, the blurred space between Art and Life.

 

Although he doesn’t quite understand it, he endeavours to reside in this blurred space, he knows he will never find a definite answer, but the blurred space feels right. He believes that every action is performative, every body is politicized and blurring is always occurring. For these reasons his ART/LIFE practice is constantly in flux. The performance never ends and life keeps happening.  Therefore where the "art" happens is up for debate.

 

His practice exists in this ART/LIFE blur by questioning and critiquing the circumstances which put it there. What does it mean to be an Artist? How did his position in art school affect his work?  What does it mean to be a Queer live artist? Some of these queries are constant, while others are temporary.  As his life changes, these queries – and so the art – change with it. But on a deeper level he believes his work is doing something more, it's questioning what it is to be.