Stephen Forsyth is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist whose work spans various mediums, including photography, music, video, motion pictures, poetry, and choreography. After graduating from McMaster University and studying at the London School of Economics, Forsyth pursued a career in music, recording and performing his compositions in French and Italian, and starring in eight of his ten European films, which ranged from spaghetti westerns to romantic comedies.
While living in Italy, Forsyth worked as a freelance photojournalist, photographing and interviewing numerous artists, including Vittorio De Sica, Valerio Zurlini, Merce Cunningham, John Cage, the Bread and Puppet Theatre, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Marc Chagall.
Upon moving to New York City, Forsyth continued to work across various disciplines, enabling him to create works of a unique personal vision. His live performances of music, choreography, and performance art have been presented at various venues in New York, including the Joyce Theater, the Bottom Line, Reno Sweeney's, the Pyramid, and Danceteria.
Forsyth was a co-founder of the Rebecca Blake Studio, which showcased photographic exhibitions at institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, the Nikon House, and the Witkin Gallery.
His photographic work is included in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art, the George Eastman House Museum of Photography and Film, and the Harvard Film Archives.
Forsyth's musical production, "Step out of Love," choreographed by Margo Sappington, was performed worldwide by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for ten consecutive years and was recently remounted for their 25th anniversary.
He has released two albums of his music and lyrics, which include his unreleased theme song for the James Bond movie Never Say Never Again (1983) sung by Phyllis Hyman.
Forsyth was awarded a Canada Council Explorations Grant to create his award-winning video work, "Passages," which features his piano compositions as the inspiration for a powerful weave of visuals, music, and dance, and was broadcast on PBS' Alive from Off Center (1984).
In recent years, Forsyth's work has seen a worldwide reemergence, including the remastering and release of the cult favorite film Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) starring Forsyth on Blu-Ray.
With his recent return to photography, Forsyth has brought his experience from his video work and musical compositions to the medium. His photographs have been exhibited in Toronto at various galleries, including the Italian Cultural Institute, Fran Hill Gallery, Awol Gallery, Artscape Triangle Gallery, Redhead Gallery, 401 Richmond's Art in the Fall, and Nuit Blanche.
In 2016, Forsyth released a DVD titled "Stephen Forsyth, Piano Solos: Scenes from My Window," which synthesizes his piano solos, poetry, and photography.
