Contemporary Art
Contemporary art reflects the ideas, tensions and questions shaping life today. In David Roman’s practice, the work explores human value, consciousness and self-realisation in a culture increasingly shaped by speed, measurement and optimisation.
These contemporary artworks are available directly from the Birmingham studio as original pieces and selected limited editions.
The artist behind the work
David Roman is an independent artist working from his studio in Birmingham, UK. His paintings are built on intricate surfaces of hand-engraved and embossed detail, gilded with genuine gold leaf, addressing contemporary questions around consciousness and what gets lost when human experience is reduced to data.
The human figure runs through everything he makes, never quite solid, constructed from pattern and on the edge of dissolution.
Roman uses ancient craft as a deliberate counterposition to a culture that has made speed and data the measure of everything. His work is collected internationally, and collectors engage directly with the studio.
Questions about contemporary art
Contemporary art is art made in the present period, usually by living artists. It responds to current culture, identity, technology, politics, materials, belief or the changing conditions of modern life.
Modern art usually refers to art from the late 19th to mid-20th century. Contemporary art refers to work made more recently, especially by artists responding to today’s world.
Famous contemporary art pieces are works that have shaped public conversation, museum collections or the art market. Their importance usually comes from cultural impact, originality, timing and critical attention.
Famous artists today include internationally recognised contemporary artists shown by major galleries, museums and biennials. Their influence often comes from a distinctive body of work, strong ideas and cultural relevance.
You can buy contemporary art directly from artists, through galleries, online platforms, art fairs, open studios and auctions. Direct studio purchases often offer clearer access to the artist and their process.
Contemporary art prints can be worth buying when they are well made, editioned, signed and connected to a serious artistic practice. They offer a more accessible route into collecting.
Contemporary British artists are artists working in the UK today across painting, sculpture, installation, photography, printmaking and mixed media. These artists work across London and regional art scenes as well.
Contemporary figurative art uses the human figure to explore present-day questions around identity, emotion, embodiment, society or meaning. It can be realistic, symbolic, distorted, abstracted or deeply psychological.