Artworks1990Title

A three panel painting of the artists signature entirely made from recycled materials with information about the materials used hand-sewn in the bottom right corner. Produced while studying at the Royal College, this was Turk’s first signature-based work. Being a student at the time, his signature was worth little in the art world and, as the artist’s signature was brazenly the painting’s only subject, Turk expected some viewers to take exception to such a provocative art work. To counter these reactions, Turk made the work from recycled materials and employed a medieval string-and-peg process to stretch the canvas, avoiding staples and environmentally damaging adhesives. He even planted a tree to replace the recycled timber. The construction process was explained as a small label onto the canvas: nobody could criticise the work for being a waste of resources. In essence, the piece took nothing from the world and gave nothing back, except the artist labour.