Alistair Wilson was born 1951, Penarth, South Wales. From a military family, at the age of ten he attended his tenth and final school, Rydal, North Wales which catered particularly well for sports and the creative arts. After leaving school in 1967 he attended Lancashire College of Agriculture and spent a period of time farming.
In 1970, after much deliberation, he enrolled on a foundation studies course at Harris College of Art, Preston, followed by a B.A.Hons at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham 1971-75 and M.A. Sculpture at Chelsea School of Art,1976-7 London.
In 1975, awarded a DAAD Postgraduate Fellowship to Berlin and spent the year at the Hochschule der Bildenden Kunst and Kunstlerhaus Bethanien. Work made during this period was exhibited as a solo show at the Kuntlerhaus Bethanien and at the 6th Berliner Frier Kunst Austellung under the DAAD umbrella.
Between 1979 and 2011 he combined work as a lecturer at the University of Ulster with a concentrated studio practice and in 2002, was appointed Course Leader for the prestigious Master of Fine Art course, a position he held until 2011. In 2008 he was appointed Reader in Fine Art.
Appointed to the Faculty of the British School at Rome between 2006-2011.
First solo exhibition in Ireland "Pourings" was a show of sculpture and drawings at the newly opened Orchard Gallery, Derry, 1980. During the 80's he was represented in Ireland by Oliver Dowling Gallery, Dublin and latterly until 2011 by Hugh Mulholland at the Third Space Gallery, Belfast. He has exhibited extensively throughout this period both at home and abroad, including installations for "Dogs have no religion" Museum of Modern Art, Prague. "Irish Artists", Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, Pittsburgh, USA. and a residency at the Nuovo Icona Gallery, Venice, culminating in the installation "Fonte" at the Oratorio San Ludovico.2003.
In 2005 represented Northern Ireland at the 51st Venice Biennale. "The Nature of Things".
Since 2011, has been a full-time practitioner and has forthcoming, a major two part 'mid-term' exhibition, covering 40 years of practice, at the Golden Thread Gallery, Belfast. and the Millenium Court Gallery, Portadown, Northern Ireland.
Collections
Museum of Fine Art, Prague. Ulster Museum. The Kilkenny Museum. Society of Contemporary Art. Trinity College, Dublin. University of Ulster, Belfast. Allied Irish Investment Bank, Dublin. Kunsterlhaus Bethanien, Berlin. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (a painting, video and a sculpture) . The Arts Council of Ireland/An Chomhairlie Ealaion, Dublin. Work in private collections in USA, Canada, and Europe.