Artist's Piss

Urine in aluminium can

Alchemy

Piss

Waste

Duchamp

Cans

Sculpture

Bronze Momento

Etched bronze can 

Painted Bronze

Disembodied from any room, structure or building, this ‘larger than life’ painted bronze door, is freestanding, open at 45°’s to the frame. This internal wooden door now placed in the park has different colours painted on each side, the door shows signs of age and wear which are painted onto its surface. Its giant bronze door handle and keyhole seem to shrink the viewer. ‘I continued to look at the flowers, and in their living light I seemed to detect the qualitative equivalent of breathing -but of a breathing without returns to a starting point, with no recurrent ebbs but only a repeated flow from beauty to heightened beauty, from deeper to ever deeper meaning.’ - Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception This work invokes Magritte’s painting ‘La Victoire’ and the title references Luis Bunuel’s surreal film of the same name. It is a playful surrealist public artwork that the audience enjoys interacting with as a gateway to their imagination. L’Âge d’Or teases the audience to question notions of home, security, architecture and also the bolder concepts of inside and outside. The work can also be seen in the context of Marcel Duchamp’s door in rue Larrey and Jasper Johns’ painted bronze Ballentine beer cans. Question: When is a door not a door? Answer: When it’s ajar

L'Âge d'Or (Green & Red)

Painted bronze

Disembodied from any room, structure or building, this ‘larger than life’ painted bronze door, is freestanding, open at 45°’s to the frame. This internal wooden door now placed in the park has different colours painted on each side, the door shows signs of age and wear which are painted onto its surface. Its giant bronze door handle and keyhole seem to shrink the viewer. ‘I continued to look at the flowers, and in their living light I seemed to detect the qualitative equivalent of breathing -but of a breathing without returns to a starting point, with no recurrent ebbs but only a repeated flow from beauty to heightened beauty, from deeper to ever deeper meaning.’ - Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception This work invokes Magritte’s painting ‘La Victoire’ and the title references Luis Bunuel’s surreal film of the same name. It is a playful surrealist public artwork that the audience enjoys interacting with as a gateway to their imagination. L’Âge d’Or teases the audience to question notions of home, security, architecture and also the bolder concepts of inside and outside. The work can also be seen in the context of Marcel Duchamp’s door in rue Larrey and Jasper Johns’ painted bronze Ballentine beer cans. Question: When is a door not a door? Answer: When it’s ajar

Doors

Fate

Infinity

Public Sculpture

Disembodied from any room, structure or building, this ‘larger than life’ painted bronze door, is freestanding, open at 45°’s to the frame. This internal wooden door now placed in the park has different colours painted on each side, the door shows signs of age and wear which are painted onto its surface. Its giant bronze door handle and keyhole seem to shrink the viewer.

Gavin Turk’s Axis Mundi, a cover for the new ecological bore hole at Paddington Basin is a out of scale bronze facsimile of a traditional well-used sink plug. Referencing the work is Bouche-evier a work by Marcel Duchamp the cast of a plug hole. The name of the sculpture Axis Mundi means ‘Centre of the Earth’ (the point between heaven and earth where the four compass points meet), reminiscent of the Socle du Monde by Piero Manzoni. The work continues in the spirit of the artists previous public art commissions, which include a 12m bronze ‘Nail’ outside St Paul’s Cathedral and a series of freestanding painted bronze doors ‘L’Âge d’Or’ and ‘Ajar’.

Axis Mundi

Patinated bronze and steel

Latest Edit 2020:Gavin Turk’s Axis Mundi, a cover for the new ecological bore hole at Paddington Basin is a out of scale bronze facsimile of a traditional well-used sink plug. Referencing the work is Bouche-evier a work by Marcel Duchamp the cast of a plug hole. The name of the sculpture Axis Mundi means ‘Centre of the Earth’ (the point between heaven and earth where the four compass points meet), reminiscent of the Socle du Monde by Piero Manzoni. The work continues in the spirit of the artists previous public art commissions, which include a 12m bronze ‘Nail’ outside St Paul’s Cathedral and a series of freestanding painted bronze doors ‘L’Âge d’Or’ and ‘Ajar’. -----------------Gavin Turk plays with Trompe-l’Oeil and the illusion of art – encouraging the audience to question what they are seeing as well as what they value. His public works invite the passers-by to look at the world through the eyes of an artist. For Paddington Basin he has taken the witty humour of street art and loaded it with the craftsmanship and references of art history. He has created an artfully obvious cover for the new ecological bore hole by creating an out of scale facsimile of a traditional well-used sink plug. Layered in the artist’s work is Bouche-evier (Sink Stopper) a work by Marcel Duchamp which is a life sized cast of a plug hole as well as Socle du Monde by Piero Manzoni. Gavin Turk’s bronze plug is an industrial scale sculpture resembling an aged and historic giant plug which is both a whimsical artwork in a public landscape as well as having the functional purpose of a lid to the bore hole below. The work continues in the spirit of the artists previous public art commissions, which include a 12m bronze nail outside St Paul’s Cathedral and a series of freestanding painted bronze door frames referencing Magritte – both with poetic narratives engaging the audience. The name of the sculpture Axis Mundi means ‘ Centre of the Earth’ (the point between heaven and earth where the four compass points meet), which draws attention to the symbolism of the borehole and current human activity whilst being a playful reminder of the buildings location in the symbolically named Paddington Basin during this urgent and fragile time for climate and the environment.

Gavin Turk’s Axis Mundi, a cover for the new ecological bore hole at Paddington Basin is a out of scale bronze facsimile of a traditional well-used sink plug. Referencing the work is Bouche-evier a work by Marcel Duchamp the cast of a plug hole. The name of the sculpture Axis Mundi means ‘Centre of the Earth’ (the point between heaven and earth where the four compass points meet), reminiscent of the Socle du Monde by Piero Manzoni.

Responding to Marcel Duchamp's 'En prévision du bras crassé' ('In Anticipation of the Broken Arm') this snow shovel suggests that Duchamp created his work in anticipation on Turk's 'Broken Arm'.

Broken Arm

Wood and plastic

Responding to  Marcel Duchamp's 'En prévision du bras crassé' ('In Anticipation of the Broken Arm') this snow shovel suggests that Duchamp created his work in anticipation on Turk's 'Broken Arm'.

Readymade

Responding to Marcel Duchamp's 'En prévision du bras crassé' ('In Anticipation of the Broken Arm') this snow shovel suggests that Duchamp created his work in anticipation on Turk's 'Broken Arm'.

Installation info: Can be installed in different configurations under guidance by artist'The broken mirror maze degraded and shattered so it exists as a series of small corners or small barriers. Once proudly installed as a clinical, controlled and controlling architecture, the panels are now coated with distressed paper and the ingress of moisture behind the film. The milky failure of perfect material corrupted with the organic deposits of mildew and spores. The title as a thinly veiled spoken word play on Duchamp’s ‘the Large Glass’ refers to the eponymous Yard. That place of abandoned things contains the accumulation of human aspiration and cultural failure.  Smashed but preserved in a broken form, capitalising on the natural process of nature reclaiming even the most impenetrable of materials. The constituent parts create a mathematical labyrinth drifting apart like icebergs in the space. An ancient symbol now a dotted-line imbroglio. Reflecting back our shattered selves.'Text by Gavin Turk, 2015

The Yard Glass

Aluminium Frame, laminated glass, mirror film and paper residue

'The broken mirror maze degraded and shattered so it exists as a series of small corners or small barriers. Once proudly installed as a clinical, controlled and controlling architecture, the panels are now coated with distressed paper and the ingress of moisture behind the film. The milky failure of perfect material corrupted with the organic deposits of mildew and spores. The title as a thinly veiled spoken word play on Duchamp’s ‘the Large Glass’ refers to the eponymous Yard. That place of abandoned things contains the accumulation of human aspiration and cultural failure. Smashed but preserved in a broken form, capitalising on the natural process of nature reclaiming even the most impenetrable of materials. The constituent parts create a mathematical labyrinth drifting apart like icebergs in the space. An ancient symbol now a dotted-line imbroglio. Reflecting back our shattered selves.'Text by Gavin Turk, 2015

Labyrinths

Recycling

Installation info: Can be installed in different configurations under guidance by artist 'The broken mirror maze degraded and shattered so it exists as a series of small corners or small barriers. Once proudly installed as a clinical, controlled and controlling architecture, the panels are now coated with distressed paper and the ingress of moisture behind the film. The milky failure of perfect material corrupted with the organic deposits of mildew and spores. The title as a thinly veiled spoken word play on Duchamp’s ‘the Large Glass’ refers to the eponymous Yard.

The table is made of steel. The top is finished with clear original ‘Briwax’ (for lustre) and the table legs are finished with linseed oil (to protect against discolouration). Being steel, the table will be vulnerable to rust if exposed to moisture, so should be stored off the floor in a dry place. The table can be buffed to a shine without re-waxing: use separate cloths for the legs and the tabletop. The exhaust is made of blown glass. This is a more delicate material than domestic glass and should be treated with great care. The surface is very vulnerable to scratching and all abrasive contact should be avoided. When cleaning, use only water and very mild products such as vinegar, baking soda or glass cleaner suitable for lead crystal. Take care to use only cloths, which will leave no lint behind, especially when cleaning the inside. ‘Wypall’ cloths or e-cloths are very good for this purpose.When handling and moving the glass exhaust, great care should be taken to support each piece at its most vulnerable points. Each piece should be supported under the main chamber (the heaviest part) with the other parts being cradled to prevent any stress at the different junctions. Take care to keep the glass away from zips and buttons on your clothes as you are carrying. The glass exhaust and tabletop will both be marked if the two are scuffed together, so when installing the glass work on the table, lift into place rather than dragging. Wear gloves to avoid fingerprints on either surface. Because the table surface is waxed, the glass exhaust will move and spin if it is knocked. Push the two glass parts together firmly to improve the stability of the piece.For Turk the exhaust pipe represents the transport of air and is a metaphor for both breathing and exhaustion. The 'pregnant snake-like object' also holds up an anthropological mirror to societies reliance on roads and transportation and the consumption of resources at the heart of this. This work relates to his current series of bronze exhaust pipes convincingly painted to resemble rusty iron that alludes to Duchamp's readymades whilst also referring to the pipe as a symbol of more innocent times, as Bertrand Russell and his fellow intellectuals puffed their way to enlightenment and the brave new world. In this particular manifestation, the pipe is created using the exhalation or exhaustion of breath to hand blow the glass into the desired shape.'

This Is Not A Pipe

Blown glass on steel table.

Transit

Vehicles

Automaton

Glass

The table is made of steel. The top is finished with clear original ‘Briwax’ (for lustre) and the table legs are finished with linseed oil (to protect against discolouration). Being steel, the table will be vulnerable to rust if exposed to moisture, so should be stored off the floor in a dry place. The table can be buffed to a shine without re-waxing: use separate cloths for the legs and the tabletop.

As a direct reference to the painting ‘La Victoire’ by Rene Magritte. Ajar is a surreal gateway: a spiritual journey through the imagination, an interactive sculpture that children will enjoy as much as adults. It is a key to the imagination: unlocking ideas of the infinite as mused on by Aldous Huxley quoting Blake. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."	It simultaneously references Duchamp earlier work ‘11 Rue Larrey’ the door that is never open or shut. This sculpture is designed as an inside installation but with two doorways it is never definitively open or closed. Ajar would be placed without walls and permanently open encouraging the choice to go around, or go through.

Ajar (Highbury)

Patinated bronze

As a direct reference to the painting ‘La Victoire’ by Rene Magritte. Ajar is a surreal gateway: a spiritual journey through the imagination, an interactive sculpture that children will enjoy as much as adults. It is a key to the imagination: unlocking ideas of the infinite as mused on by Aldous Huxley quoting Blake. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."

‘This Is Not a Pipe’ The exhaust pipe, which carries noxious gases, can be imagined as metaphor for both breathing and exhaustion. The pregnant, snake-like object is an anthropological mirror to societies addiction to roads and transportation, that consume natural resources and create air pollution. This glass work recalls Gavin Turk’s series of ‘real’ exhaust pipes that are cast in bronze and convincingly painted to resemble the dirty, rusty iron and alloy pipes that they once were. Gavin Turk points us to Marcel Duchamp's readymade’s whilst also referring to the ‘this is not a pipe’, pipe of Rene Magritte and a symbol of more innocent times, where Bertrand Russell and his fellow intellectuals puffed their way to enlightenment and the Brave New World. This reflexive artwork is itself formed by being heated in a furnace (with integral chimney) then transferred to a blowpipe and using the exhalation of breath to blow the glass. Whilst the exquisite, choreographed ballet of twisting, blowing, turning around the bench, tools and temperature control creates the piece into the desired shape.

‘This Is Not a Pipe’The exhaust pipe, which carries noxious gases, can be imagined as metaphor for both breathing and exhaustion. The pregnant, snake-like object is an anthropological mirror to societies addiction to roads and transportation, that consume natural resources and create air pollution. This glass work recalls Gavin Turk’s series of ‘real’ exhaust pipes that are cast in bronze and convincingly painted to resemble the dirty, rusty iron and alloy pipes that they once were. Gavin Turk points us to Marcel Duchamp's readymade’s whilst also referring to the ‘this is not a pipe’, pipe of Rene Magritte and a symbol of more innocent times, where Bertrand Russell and his fellow intellectuals puffed their way to enlightenment and the Brave New World. This reflexive artwork is itself formed by being heated in a furnace (with integral chimney) then transferred to a blowpipe and using the exhalation of breath to blow the glass. Whilst the exquisite, choreographed ballet of twisting, blowing, turning around the bench, tools and temperature control creates the piece into the desired shape.

Exhaust

‘This Is Not a Pipe’ The exhaust pipe, which carries noxious gases, can be imagined as metaphor for both breathing and exhaustion. The pregnant, snake-like object is an anthropological mirror to societies addiction to roads and transportation, that consume natural resources and create air pollution. This glass work recalls Gavin Turk’s series of ‘real’ exhaust pipes that are cast in bronze and convincingly painted to resemble the dirty, rusty iron and alloy pipes that they once were.

Rotor Rings

Glass and mixed media

12 rotating rings (6 front, 6 back) using the traditional Olympic colours in the style of Duchamp's Rotor Reliefs

Installation info: Wall mounted with clear plastic spacers and nickel wire and with three plugsAs a direct reference to the painting ‘La Victoire’ by Rene Magritte. Port is a surreal gateway: a spiritual journey through the imagination.  It is a key to unlocking ideas of the infinite as mused on by Aldous Huxley quoting Blake. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."	It simultaneously references Duchamp earlier work ‘11 Rue Larrey’ the door that is never open or shut.

Port (Blue)

Blue neon mounted on a black wall

As a direct reference to the painting ‘La Victoire’ by Rene Magritte. Port is a surreal gateway: a spiritual journey through the imagination. It is a key to unlocking ideas of the infinite as mused on by Aldous Huxley quoting Blake. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."	It simultaneously references Duchamp earlier work ‘11 Rue Larrey’ the door that is never open or shut.

Signs

Illusion

Installation info: Wall mounted with clear plastic spacers and nickel wire and with three plugs As a direct reference to the painting ‘La Victoire’ by Rene Magritte. Port is a surreal gateway: a spiritual journey through the imagination. It is a key to unlocking ideas of the infinite as mused on by Aldous Huxley quoting Blake. "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite." It simultaneously references Duchamp earlier work ‘11 Rue Larrey’ the door that is never open or shut.

Installation info: To be shown on a free standing plinth, without ridge on top, unlike in photo. Previously museum wax has been used to balance sculpture upright.  If this is to be repeated take care to avoid applying this near the signature underneath as the wax will smudge it.An object that resembles a smoking pipe found and displayed by the artist in reference to Magritte & Duchamp. This readymade was found by the artist; a u-bend from a drain, a transition point between private and public waste disposal. The seal to prevent contamination of smells and germs between the individual and civic pace, the shape is also reminiscent of a toilet bowl or the philosopher’s tobacco pipe. The male accessory of traditional patriarchal values displayed as a decrepit old tube.

Drainpipe

Ceramic and cast iron

Installation info: To be shown on a free standing plinth, without ridge on top, unlike in photo. Previously museum wax has been used to balance sculpture upright. If this is to be repeated take care to avoid applying this near the signature underneath as the wax will smudge it.An object that resembles a smoking pipe found and displayed by the artist in reference to Magritte & Duchamp. This readymade was found by the artist; a u-bend from a drain, a transition point between private and public waste disposal. The seal to prevent contamination of smells and germs between the individual and civic pace, the shape is also reminiscent of a toilet bowl or the philosopher’s tobacco pipe. The male accessory of traditional patriarchal values displayed as a decrepit old tube.

Magritte

Pipes

Found Object

Installation info: To be shown on a free standing plinth, without ridge on top, unlike in photo. Previously museum wax has been used to balance sculpture upright. If this is to be repeated take care to avoid applying this near the signature underneath as the wax will smudge it. An object that resembles a smoking pipe found and displayed by the artist in reference to Magritte & Duchamp. This readymade was found by the artist; a u-bend from a drain, a transition point between private and public waste disposal.