David Crompton is an artist based in Vancouver, Canada. Exploring on foot, he focuses his inquiry on the subtle, often overlooked corners of urban spaces and the transient objects and architectural forms found within them. His compositions favour geometric structure, layering, and the ephemeral qualities of light, shadow, and reflection. Through photography, printed matter, sound and motion imagery, Crompton seeks to reveal the underlying poetry of these settings.
A graduate of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, his work has been exhibited in galleries, festivals, and media channels throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Crompton’s pieces are included in the Media Centre collection at the Marshall McLuhan Salon (Canadian Embassy in Berlin) and he has been awarded grants by the Canada Council for the Arts and the British Columbia Arts Council.
Crompton has produced several photography-based artist zines, including Common (2014), Strait Goods (2017), and the five-volume Surrounded (2017), which highlights his work from 2013 to 2017. His most recent collection, Umwelt (2024), documents work from 2018 to 2024.
ONE & TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
Seen Guest Artist at Propellor Studio and Gallery, Vancouver, Canada | June 21 - October 10, 2024
SummerSeven (With Tristesse Seeliger) South Main Gallery Vancouver, Canada | July 28 - August 10, 2017
Strait Goods GAM Gallery (Capture Photography Festival) Vancouver, Canada | April 8 - May 14, 2016
Common Remington Gallery, Vancouver, Canada | March 6 - 28, 2015
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS, SCREENINGS AND FAIRS
Winter Group Show South Main Gallery, Vancouver, Canada | December 7, 2018 - January 27, 2019
Vancouver Photobook Fair Western Front, Vancouver, Canada | April, 2017
OpenSpaceShow The Playground, Vancouver, Canada | May 19 - 28, 2015
MobFORMAT 15 Format International Photography Festival, Derby, UK | March 13 - April 12, 2015
Walk in/Here You Are* (2010 Cultural Olympiad), Vancouver Public Library | July-September 2010
Marshall Mcluhan Salon Canadian Embassy* Berlin, Germany | 2006 - ongoing
Northwest Film & Video Festival* Portland, Oregon | November 10 + 14, 2006
European Media Arts Festival* Osnabrück, Germany | May 12, 2006
PDX Film Festival* Portland, Oregon | April 30, 2006
Filmfest Dresden* Dresden, Germany | April 19 + 23, 2006
Ann Arbor Film Festival* Ann Arbor, Michigan | March 22, 2006
South By Southwest [SXSW]* Austin, Texas | March 14 + 18, 2006
Transmediale* Akademie der Kuenste, Berlin, Germany | February 3 – 7, 2006
Club Transmediale* Maria am Ostbahnhof Lounge, Berlin, Germany | February 4, 2006
Stuttgarter Filmwinter* Stuttgart, Germany | January 20, 2006
Resfest* Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver | November, 2005
The Weather / Le temps qu’il fait* Blackwood Gallery, Mississauga, Canada | October 27 – December 12, 2004
The Weather / Le temps qu’il fait* Charles H. Scott Gallery, Vancouver, Canada | March 30 – May 2, 2004
The Weather / Le temps qu’il fait* Lian and Danny Taran Gallery, Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, Montréal, Canada | January 22 – March 7, 2004
*With Andrew Herfst
Residencies
Artist in Residence AZ-West Self-structured residency, Summer 2024