Biography
Chris J Dennistoun (b. 1949) is a multimedia artist based in London. He began his artistic journey at Winchester College, where he developed an early passion for art. At 16, a Skira book on Impressionism ignited his lifelong fascination with modernist art. Frequent visits to the Tate, Hayward, and ICA deepened his appreciation for the avant-garde.
After early attempts at painting, Chris set it aside, finding traditional techniques incompatible with his vision. Instead, he pursued a 50-year career in rare and antiquarian books, which sharpened his aesthetic sensibilities and fostered lasting connections.
In 2020, the artist reconnected with his creative instincts and developed a unique style incorporating wood, metal Meccano, painted patterns, and negative space. His works challenge the conventional notion of a fixed composition by inviting viewer interaction.
Dennistoun’s practice questions the notion of the ‘picture’ itself—its composition, structure, and authorship. Rejecting the idea that an artwork must have a fixed central motif, he creates pieces that exist in a state of flux. Every work offers infinite possibilities of form, depending on how the Meccano struts are repositioned, reinforcing the idea that the frame is no longer a passive boundary but an active component of meaning-making.
