Overview

I don't think I ever really decided I was an artist. I went to college to learn how to think and look at art. In the end, I developed a more sophisticated misunderstanding of art. – Gavin Turk

Gavin Turk's installations and sculptures playfully recontextualize everyday objects, addressing issues of authorship, authenticity, and identity.

Biography

When I was in college I thought of making up a fictive artist and giving him a name and a body of work. Eventually I came around to the idea of using my own name, which had this strange distancing effect, similar to using a found object. Being a Turk was quite interesting because in a sense it was like being a foreigner. – Gavin Turk

Gavin Turk is a pioneer in contemporary British sculpture known for his painted bronze, waxworks, the recycled art-historical icon, and the use of rubbish in art. Turk’s installations and sculptures deal with issues of authorship, authenticity and identity. Concerned with the ‘myth’ of the artist and the ‘authorship’ of a work, Turk’s engagement with this modernist, avant-garde debate stretches back to the readymades of Marcel Duchamp. In 1991, the Royal College of Art refused Turk a degree on the basis that his final show, ‘Cave’, consisted of a whitewashed studio space containing only a blue heritage plaque commemorating his presence...
Works
  • Gavin Turk, Squeeze It Orange Drink, Bio & Me Nutty and Seedy Granola, Stainswick Rapeseed Oil, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, Ocado Ground Cinnamon, Scala Vegan Basil Pesto, 2023 (n)
    Gavin Turk
    Squeeze It Orange Drink, Bio & Me Nutty and Seedy Granola, Stainswick Rapeseed Oil, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, Ocado Ground Cinnamon, Scala Vegan Basil Pesto, 2023 (n)
    oil on linen
    46 x 61.3 x 2 cm
    18 1/8 x 24 1/8 x 3/4 in
  • Gavin Turk, Eine Kerze Brennt Noch, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Eine Kerze Brennt Noch, 2023
    oil on canvas
    80 x 60 x 2.5 cm
    31 1/2 x 23 5/8 x 1 in
  • Gavin Turk, Herbstkerzen, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Herbstkerzen, 2023
    oil on canvas
    80 x 60 x 2.5 cm
    31 1/2 x 23 5/8 x 1 in
  • Gavin Turk, Zwei Kerzen Löschen, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Zwei Kerzen Löschen, 2023
    oil on canvas
    80 x 60 x 2.5 cm
    31 1/2 x 23 5/8 x 1 in
  • Gavin Turk, Tesco Table Salt, Scala Vegan Basil Pesto, Aspall Red Wine Vinegar, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, Dr Bronner's Organic 18-in-1 Rose Pure-Castile Soap, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Tesco Table Salt, Scala Vegan Basil Pesto, Aspall Red Wine Vinegar, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, Dr Bronner's Organic 18-in-1 Rose Pure-Castile Soap, 2023
    oil on linen
    30.5 x 38 cm
    12 x 15 in
  • Gavin Turk, Tesco Table Salt, Waitrose Granola, Varnish Carpet Shampoo, Squeeze It Orange Drink, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Tesco Table Salt, Waitrose Granola, Varnish Carpet Shampoo, Squeeze It Orange Drink, 2023
    oil on linen
    30 x 35 cm
    11 3/4 x 13 3/4 in
    framed: 47.5 x 56.5 x 7.5 cm
  • Gavin Turk, Dr Bronner's Organic 18-in-1 Rose Pure-Castile Soap, Yeo Valley Organic Whole Milk, Duvel Belgium Strong Blond, Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, Vita Chrysanthemum Tea Drink, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Dr Bronner's Organic 18-in-1 Rose Pure-Castile Soap, Yeo Valley Organic Whole Milk, Duvel Belgium Strong Blond, Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, Vita Chrysanthemum Tea Drink, 2023
    oil on linen
    40 x 45 x 2 cm
    15 3/4 x 17 3/4 x 3/4 in
  • Gavin Turk, Thai Dragon Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, Scala Vegan Basil Pesto, Stainswick Rapeseed Oil, Tesco Table Salt, 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Thai Dragon Sriracha Hot Chilli Sauce, Ecover Toilet Cleaner, Scala Vegan Basil Pesto, Stainswick Rapeseed Oil, Tesco Table Salt, 2023
    oil on linen
    45 x 55 x 2 cm
    17 3/4 x 21 5/8 x 3/4 in
  • Gavin Turk, Zwei Kerzen (Grün), 2023
    Gavin Turk
    Zwei Kerzen (Grün), 2023
    oil on canvas
    80 x 60 x 2.5 cm
    31 1/2 x 23 5/8 x 1 in
  • Gavin Turk, Giraffe, 2021
    Gavin Turk
    Giraffe, 2021
    painted bronze
    18 x 20.5 x 25 cm
    7 1/8 x 8 1/8 x 9 7/8 inches
  • GT 2019 Ovum (black)
    Gavin Turk
    Ovum Black Umber, 2019
    bronze
    58 x 58 x 80 cm
    22 13/16 x 22 13/16 x 31 7/16 in
    plinth H80 x 85 x 85 cm
    total dimensions H138 x 85 x 85 cm
  • Pink Grid_2018_Gavin Turk_Holding Image
    Gavin Turk
    Pink Grid, 2018
    painted bronze
    29.6 x 29.5 x 5 cm
    11 10/16 x 11 9/16 x 1 15/16 in
  • GT 2018 Painting of a Dustbin-2
    Gavin Turk
    Painting of a Dustbin, 2018
    painted bronze
    68 x 46.7 x 45.3 cm
    26 12/16 x 18 6/16 x 17 13/16 in
  • GT_S_81.001.O
    Gavin Turk
    Oeuvre (Verdigris) , 2018
    patinated bronze
    148 x 203 x 148 cm
    58 4/16 x 79 14/16 x 58 4/16 in
  • GT 2017 Holy Egg (Small Green) (photographer Andy Keate)
    Gavin Turk
    Holy Egg (Small Green), 2017
    acrylic paint on canvas
    58 x 41.5 cm
    22 13/16 x 16 5/16 in
  • GT 2015 Holy-Egg-Blue-2
    Gavin Turk
    Holy Egg (Blue), 2015
    acrylic on canvas
    114.5 x 82 cm
    45 1/16 x 32 4/16 in
  • GT 2014 Fright Wig Aluminium
    Gavin Turk
    Fright Wig Aluminium, 2014
    Silkscreen on canvas
    100 x 100 cm
    39 5/16 x 39 5/16 in
  • GT 2003 Brillo
    Gavin Turk
    Brillo, 2003
    painted bronze
    49.3 x 28 x 45.4 cm
    19 6/16 x 11 1/16 x 17 13/16 in
  • GT 2002 Nomad_4017
    Gavin Turk
    Nomad, 2002
    painted bronze
    36 x 165 x 81 cm
    14 2/16 x 64 15/16 x 31 14/16 in
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