Born in Derby, England, (1960), Williamson’s work is informed by his experience of becoming deaf and by a politicised, yet humorous sensibility towards disability. At a University of California San Diego lecture in 1998, Williamson coined the term ‘Deaf Gain’ as a counter-emphasis to ‘hearing loss’.

Over the last twenty five years Aaron Williamson has created more than 300 exhibitions, performances, interventions, videos, installations and publications for galleries, museums and festivals including: the Venice Biennale; Nippon Performance Art Festival – Japan; DaDao Festival – China; ‘Intercambio’ – Argentina; Columbia Uni., Chicago, USA; Taipei Performance – Taiwan; ‘Eruptio Action Art’ Transylvania; ANTI Art Festival – Finland; the British School at Rome; and many other European venues. In the UK: Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Serpentine Gallery, Whitechapel Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Hayward Gallery, South London Gallery, The Showroom, Gasworks, ICA (all London); Spike Island & Arnolfini Bristol; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; Bluecoat & Liverpool Biennial; Chapter Arts, Cardiff; and many others.

Aaron Williamson