Ancient Artwork

Steven Irwin is a UK-based artist whose work examines the fragility and collapse of contemporary civilisation through layered photomontage, mixed media and sculptural assemblage. Drawing upon Vanitas traditions, his images explore decay, entropy and the impermanence of urban life. Working with both analogue and digital processes — from scratched negatives, chemical staining and rusted surfaces to complex digital compositing — Irwin creates dystopian cityscapes where human figures dissolve into the architecture around them. These fractured environments reflect themes of surveillance, political control, overdeveloped cities, and the psychological impact of modern urban existence. Series such as Slave New World, Black Sun and City of Lost Souls interrogate the tension between technological progress and societal disintegration, reimagining skylines and structures as monuments to both ambition and ruin. His more recent assemblages extend these concerns into physical space, incorporating corroded metal, industrial debris and found objects as contemporary Vanitas symbols. Curator Adriana Marques (Rise Art) writes: “Irwin’s take on our dense urbanscapes reminds us that even bricks and mortar don’t last forever. These layered works test the boundaries of photography and bring a sense of organic vitality back to our cities.” Irwin’s background as an award-winning filmmaker informs the cinematic quality of his imagery — immersive, atmospheric, and rich in narrative tension.