John Murray obtained his BA degree in Fine Art form the University of Stellenbosch in 1996. He has since participated in various group exhibitions across the country as well as in England and Spain. Murray has also had 3 solo shows to date. He has lectured at the University of Stellenbosch and has also worked as an illustrator for the last six years.
"My art is influenced by the diversity and contradictions of the different cultures, religions and economical classes of South Africa. Generally I work with wide a range of subjects such as violence, religion, sport, nature, consumerism and traditional culture. I am interested in how these things work together in everyday life and the tension that exist between them. I try to recreate this tension through the juxtaposing of images. The images I use are fictional , media imagery and life paintings (or drawings), which I then try and combine in such a way that they have equal value."