Published by Other Criteria Books. Edited by Jason Beard. Text by Darian Leader, Ben Okri. Conversation with Damien Hirst.
British artist Gavin Turk (born 1967) has been at the forefront of contemporary sculpture since the late ‘80s, with his painted bronzes, waxworks, recyclings of art-historical icons and imaginative use of trash. Throughout his career, Turk’s sculptures have dealt with issues of authorship, authenticity and identity, working to demystify or parody the myth of the artist. This fully illustrated catalog is published for Turk’s show at Damien Hirst’s new London exhibition space, Newport Street Gallery.
The volume spans the duration of the artist’s career to date, featuring his most important pieces from his seminal blue-plaque work, “Cave,” through his many signature-based artworks, egg sculptures and waxworks, to his more recent bronze casts of sleeping bags and trash bags. Featuring three gatefolds, it also includes essays by psychoanalyst and author Darian Leader and Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri, plus a conversation with Hirst.