Artists
Stephen L H Bradley was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1960 and grew up in Tauranga.
In 1983 he moved to Sydney and studied film and video production at the School of Visual Arts under Ian Ingram-Young. He then returned to New Zealand where he worked as a commercial photographer and film maker. Highlights of this time were commissions to produce music videos for TVNZ's Radio with Pictures. Bands included the Builders, Ebony Sye and the Jungle Mice.
In 1988 he travelled to London where he lived for over a decade making a living as an artist, photographer, performer and director. During that time he attained a City and Guilds qualification in photography, studying under John Theobald. Also in that period he was a trustee of two arts charities: The Art House (1990-1994) and Cor Blimey Arts (1994-1999). It was engagement with these two organisations that led to his curatorial work, which included group shows at the European parliaments of Brussels and Strasberg.
In 1989 he was commissioned to write and produce the stage play A State of Being, which debuted at the 2001 Edinburgh festival, before transferring to London’s Catford Theatre. The play was described by the Scotsman as 'powerful'. In the decade that followed Stephen was commissioned to produce numerous pieces of children’s theatre for Lewisham Council.
During the 90s he staged four solo exhibitions and was involved in over twenty group shows. His last solo show, Two Minds (1999) he recently described as '...finally something that engaged my peers...something that was uniquely mine.'
Stephen arrived in Sydney in 2000 and joined Transfield Holdings in 2003 as the company's art collection manager and curator. In 2006, at the Sofitel Hotel, he curated Transfield and the Biennale - an exhibition of works from Biennales of Sydney and by people who had exhibited in Biennales. Shortly afterwards he led the team that produced the memorial service for Franco Belgiorno-Nettis at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In 2007 he was a guest judge for Salon de Refuses: the alternative Archibald and Wynne Prize Selection, at the SH Ervin Gallery and in 2011 was judge of the Sydney Fringe Festival fine art award. In 2008, after much planning, Transfield launched its Walsh Bay Sculpture Walk, which he now manages as part of his role as Transfield's curator. In 2011, to celebrate 50 years since the launch of the Transfield Art Prize, he will curate a retrospective of works from the Transfield Art Collection.
Stephen sits on the Advisory Committee to the Transfield Foundation and Chairs the Walsh Bay Arts Group.
