Born in Dundee1955.

Batchelor studied at Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham (1975-78, BA Fine Art), and the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at Birmingham University (1978-80, MA Cultural Theory).

The major theme in his work is colour and he initially came to prominence with his striking sculptural installations using light boxes and other coloured, plastic objects, usually obtained as discarded refuse from various industrial or commercial sources. As well as taking delight in the obvious appeal of brightly illuminated colour, Batchelor is questioning how colour is perceived and reacted to in contemporary urban society, something he has also explored in his critical examination of this issue in Chromophobia (2000) and other academic articles.

Since the early 1990s Batchelor has exhibited frequently and extensively in the UK, Europe, USA, South America and the Far East. In a recent exhibition Flatlands, shown in Edinburgh and Bristol (2013/14), he departs from three-dimensional works and presents drawing and paintings using various media also related to colour.

Batchelor is Senior Tutor in Critical Theory in the department of Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art in London.

Against Nature