Artworks2013One Twenty Five

For Turk, the subject of his art is often art itself: repurposing the heroic movements that epitomized ideals of progress, trading upon their enduring values of cultural capital. Turk’s One Twenty Five is an extension of a recent series of outdoor sculptures that play on Joseph Beuys’ concept of Social Sculpture: the world as a collaborative artwork, where everyone is an artist by virtue of contributing to society. Cast in bronze, Turk’s monolithic nails are set within the landscape, literally puncturing the earth with monumental evidence of a god-like craftsmanship. Transforming this motif into neon – replete with glowing shadow – Turk’s One Twenty Five, now referring to a metaphysical clock, pictures a nail on the gallery wall: simultaneously an armature, an artwork, and a vacancy sign, his own-brand insignia an open invitation.