This work re-presents a safe, transforming it into a contemporary icon. Invested with mythological and economic significance. The object symbolises physical wealth in a world now dominated by a new belief system of data and digital currencies. 
 
‘I see Safe, as a ritualistic object, for me it acts as a sacred hearth or the golden egg’
 
This object triggers questions around value and security. This protective modern shaped container forever sealed shut is a found object, contents unknown.


Safe

Gold leaf on steel

This work re-presents a safe, transforming it into a contemporary icon. Invested with mythological and economic significance. The object symbolises physical wealth in a world now dominated by a new belief system of data and digital currencies. ‘I see Safe, as a ritualistic object, for me it acts as a sacred hearth or the golden egg’ This object triggers questions around value and security. This protective modern shaped container forever sealed shut is a found object, contents unknown.

Alchemy

Money

Sculpture

This work re-presents a safe, transforming it into a contemporary icon. Invested with mythological and economic significance. The object symbolises physical wealth in a world now dominated by a new belief system of data and digital currencies. ‘I see Safe, as a ritualistic object, for me it acts as a sacred hearth or the golden egg’ This object triggers questions around value and security. This protective modern shaped container forever sealed shut is a found object, contents unknown.

This sculpture in the Station Square set against the colonnade of Cambridge Station generates echoes of a Giorgio de Chirico painting, playing with the Italian artist’s metaphysical, surreal cityscapes. At first glance to be an object covered in a dust sheet and bound with rope, on further inspection it becomes apparent that this sculpture is a trompe l’oeil and the coy cloth covering is forever fixed, the temporary surface permanent.The shape of the covered object suggests a reclining figure, in an archetypal prone pose, the mythical Ariadne saviour of Theseus now abandoned on the island of Naxos, from this classical story of forces beyond humanity. Now presented as a packaged shape forever in transportation, informed by the sound of the train the parcel lies in limbo. The criss-cross of ropes and string act like compositional or navigation lines, pointers to new perspectives.Art historically the wrapped work reminds the viewer of other artworks namely by Christo and Jean-Claude, Man Ray and even Henry Moore.In 2011 Gavin Turk installed Nail, a 12-metre bronze sculpture of a giant rusty nail protruding from the pavement, in front of St Pauls Cathedral, and in 2016 the Artist installed L’Âge d’Or a ‘larger than life’ painted bronze door in Queen Elizabeth Park. These works including the newly placed ‘Ariadne Wrapped’ are surreal symbols, that invite the audience inside a larger metaphysical maze. &nbsp;

Cast bronze on Portland stone plinth

Ariadne

Art History

This sculpture in the Station Square set against the colonnade of Cambridge Station generates echoes of a Giorgio de Chirico painting, playing with the Italian artist’s metaphysical, surreal cityscapes. At first glance to be an object covered in a dust sheet and bound with rope, on further inspection it becomes apparent that this sculpture is a trompe l’oeil and the coy cloth covering is forever fixed, the temporary surface permanent.

Ariadne Wrapped

Painted bronze

Eggs

Tulips are classically thought of as an icon of the Netherlands, however historically they arrive from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) in 17th Century. Gavin Turk blends associations with cultural heritage and identity, nature vs nurture. 

Here The Rite of Spring see’s the first fallen petal from the wilting flower of a Tulipa Gavin Turkish, a cultivar baptised by the Artist in 2017 part of a larger project Turkish Tulips.

The sculpture is carefully crafted in bronze, and painted to match the markings of the flower in its demise. 

The Rite of Spring

Painted bronze, wood and glass

Tulips are classically thought of as an icon of the Netherlands, however historically they arrive from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) in 17th Century. Gavin Turk blends associations with cultural heritage and identity, nature vs nurture. Here The Rite of Spring see’s the first fallen petal from the wilting flower of a Tulipa Gavin Turkish, a cultivar baptised by the Artist in 2017 part of a larger project Turkish Tulips.The sculpture is carefully crafted in bronze, and painted to match the markings of the flower in its demise.

Trompe L'oeil

Tulips are classically thought of as an icon of the Netherlands, however historically they arrive from the Ottoman Empire (Turkey) in 17th Century. Gavin Turk blends associations with cultural heritage and identity, nature vs nurture. Here The Rite of Spring see’s the first fallen petal from the wilting flower of a Tulipa Gavin Turkish, a cultivar baptised by the Artist in 2017 part of a larger project Turkish Tulips. The sculpture is carefully crafted in bronze, and painted to match the markings of the flower in its demise.

Fig etymologically can be traced back to an abbreviation of ‘figure’, namely that ‘which is formed’, thus a sea of elliptical references. Ficus is the Latin genus name for the fig plant. This fig leaf, depicted by the Artist as a falling autumnal leaf is a floating signifier leading the audience to question what is being concealed. The painted surface hides a bronze repoussage, where the metal is hammered and pressed into the leaf form. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, upon consuming the forbidden fruit they developed a consciousness and realised they were naked, so to conceal their genitals they covered them with a fig leaf. As such the fig leaf holds a curious relation to sex, religion and censorship, as played out through the history of art.

Ficus

Fig etymologically can be traced back to an abbreviation of ‘figure’, namely that ‘which is formed’, thus a sea of elliptical references. Ficus is the Latin genus name for the fig plant. This fig leaf, depicted by the Artist as a falling autumnal leaf is a floating signifier leading the audience to question what is being concealed. The painted surface hides a bronze repoussage, where the metal is hammered and pressed into the leaf form. Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge, upon consuming the forbidden fruit they developed a consciousness and realised they were naked, so to conceal their genitals they covered them with a fig leaf. As such the fig leaf holds a curious relation to sex, religion and censorship, as played out through the history of art.

Fig etymologically can be traced back to an abbreviation of ‘figure’, namely that ‘which is formed’, thus a sea of elliptical references. Ficus is the Latin genus name for the fig plant. This fig leaf, depicted by the Artist as a falling autumnal leaf is a floating signifier leading the audience to question what is being concealed. The painted surface hides a bronze repoussage, where the metal is hammered and pressed into the leaf form.

Artist's Piss

Urine in aluminium can

Piss

Waste

Duchamp

Cans

You must be having a giraffe (laugh)! This is not a giraffe, it’s a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape and now at a point of decompositional stasis. 
 
The work, a successful trompe l’oeil, cast bronze, painted and sculptured to resemble a black banana stuck to the art fair booth by Duct tape. Referencing the artwork cultural moment/meme Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan. 

On the inner curve of the banana, is a Rainforest alliance sticker, a picture of a cute Amazonian tree frog, which alludes to the real Amazon which is cut down and replaced by single crop banana plantations, to fed western consumer needs, not so cute. 


Giraffe  

You must be having a giraffe (laugh)! This is not a giraffe, it’s a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape and now at a point of decompositional stasis. The work, a successful trompe l’oeil, cast bronze, painted and sculptured to resemble a black banana stuck to the art fair booth by Duct tape. Referencing the artwork cultural moment/meme Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan. On the inner curve of the banana, is a Rainforest alliance sticker, a picture of a cute Amazonian tree frog, which alludes to the real Amazon which is cut down and replaced by single crop banana plantations, to fed western consumer needs, not so cute.

Food

Fruit

You must be having a giraffe (laugh)! This is not a giraffe, it’s a banana stuck to the wall with duct tape and now at a point of decompositional stasis. The work, a successful trompe l’oeil, cast bronze, painted and sculptured to resemble a black banana stuck to the art fair booth by Duct tape. Referencing the artwork cultural moment/meme Comedian by Maurizio Cattelan.

Rain Box

Packaging

Consume

Holy Egg (GT Reversed White)

Acrylic paint and diamond dust on canvas

Acrylic on canvas with string 

Untitled (Newham 229)

Plywood, plexiglass and found water-bottles

Bottles

Untitled (Newham 433)

Manzonian Cylinder

Message in a Bottle

Plastic bottle in douglas fir plywood box

Here and Now

The artist has referred to this work as part of a series of work known as the ‘Prometheus Series’, referring to this most elusive, heroic and abject of the Greek myths. Prometheus was the god who gave Humans the gift of fire that he stole from Mount Olympus to give to his Shelleyan Protégées.  For the well meaning and philanthropic opening of this particular Pandora’s box our hero was punished by the most gruesome of mortal punishments on an immortal daily basis. On first glance the work appears, like a gemstone, tantalising the intellect like the visual illusions of Larry Bell or Dan Graham. But through the diachronic shimmer and reflections emerge a carefully placed tableaux: the detritus of our manic consumer age. These collections of the rusted, deteriorated evidence of our contemporary world have a totem like aura, trapped as they are behind glass. The icons of our secular age now worshipped like the religious relics of the Catholics, the shrines of the Greco-Romans or the talismans and totems of the indigenous ancients. Gavin Turk, June 2017

VXACT

Glass and mixed media

The artist has referred to this work as part of a series of work known as the ‘Prometheus Series’, referring to this most elusive, heroic and abject of the Greek myths. Prometheus was the god who gave Humans the gift of fire that he stole from Mount Olympus to give to his Shelleyan Protégées.  For the well meaning and philanthropic opening of this particular Pandora’s box our hero was punished by the most gruesome of mortal punishments on an immortal daily basis. On first glance the work appears, like a gemstone, tantalising the intellect like the visual illusions of Larry Bell or Dan Graham. But through the diachronic shimmer and reflections emerge a carefully placed tableaux: the detritus of our manic consumer age. These collections of the rusted, deteriorated evidence of our contemporary world have a totem like aura, trapped as they are behind glass. The icons of our secular age now worshipped like the religious relics of the Catholics, the shrines of the Greco-Romans or the talismans and totems of the indigenous ancients. Gavin Turk, June 2017

The artist has referred to this work as part of a series of work known as the ‘Prometheus Series’, referring to this most elusive, heroic and abject of the Greek myths.

Safe

Ariadne Wrapped

Grr

Ebb

Err

The Rite of Spring

Ficus

Artist's Piss

Giraffe

Rain Box

Holy Egg (GT Reversed White)

Untitled (Newham 229)

Untitled (Newham 433)

Manzonian Cylinder

Message in a Bottle

Here and Now

VXACT

Portrait of the Sailor Gentleman Jim (Wrapped Waste)

PTERO

Edgar Allan Poe Award (Wrapped Waste)

Bike de Bois Rond (black, white, red, green)

Bike de Bois Rond (blue, red, orange, violet)

ABHOR

Bike de Bois Rond (white, orange, green, blue)

Bike de Bois Rond (white, yellow, orange, blue)

Bike de Bois Rond (yellow, red, orange, green)

Balancing Blue Biscuit after Man Ray

Bike de Bois Rond (black, green, blue, yellow)

Bike de Bois Rond (black, white, blue, orange)

Bike de Bois Rond (black, white, blue, violet)