Artworks1995Gavin Turks 9" Roller in Bronze

A paint roller made to look like bronze and displayed in a glass vitrine.

Having recognized white emulsion paint as the background canvas – the theatre backdrop of contemporary art – the Artist then put his mind to the tool that is used to apply the paint. The first piece was a wooden museum vitrine made in 1995 called ‘Paint, Two Rollers and a Brush’. This was a homage to the cultural significance or archeological importance of the gallery decorator and his tools. Displayed in the cabinet were several used objects straight out of the recently repainted gallery exactly as their title suggests. They are fresh and curious in their isolation. Looking at them through the imaginary eyes of an alien they appear angular and precise. Specialised tools for a specialized job.
The most angular and specialized of all is the paint roller. A bent and twisted mark-making tool that covers a wall in white faster than you can blink. Cast in bronze – the traditional material of ‘Great Sculpture’ – the tool then becomes heavy and significant, instead of light and useful, allowing the viewer to study the detail of the everyday object: the tufts of the sheepskin roller, the ingeniously designed bent handle.