“Ever since Marcel Duchamp exhibited his “found object” Urinal almost a century ago, art’s relationship with utility has been brought into question. What would happen to its artistic identity if Urinal was taken from its gallery mounting, replaced in the gents and peed into?…
Here, four contemporary artists… present art that looks useful but is utterly useless. Here are prosthetic tools missing vital parts, a shelf rendered impractical by being made of cardboard, a water cabinet designated as sculptural and a roll of woodchip wallpaper with every single chip obsessively hand-coloured. All of which suggests that, while designers might go directly to the solution, perhaps artists are well ahead: already round the bend.”
Robert Clark, The Guardian
3 September 2011
Thanks so much to everyone who came to the preview of “Function” at Bloc in Sheffield last Friday. I am delighted to be showing there alongside Alistair Owen, Paul Lewthwaite and Mike Gent.
Extra special thanks to Lesley Guy for all her hard work – the show looks amazing – so thoughtfully and carefully arranged in what must be a difficult exhibition space with which to work. If only all exhibitions had so much thought and care going into their curation.
