Has anybody here been recently to the Tate Britain? If want to know if you have been to the Turner Prize exhibition and can report on viewing the red convertible Ford Mk3 Cabriolet Escort XR3i under a massive crocheted doily accompanied by exceptionally loud music?
I wonder how it is received. On show 25 September 2024 – 16 February 2025
I have not seen it. I really should make the effort to go down.
Most people don't like contemporary art but I kinda do. "Is it art?" can be an interesting question. I tend to go with it if it's being presented as such, and not worry too much about interpreting it to find meaning if I don't have to. I've seen several Turner Prize shows in the past, and there's some previous winners and nominees where I've really enjoyed their work and / or have an affinity for on a personal level.
In the case of the work by Jasleen Kaur that you mention, I'd be interested in seeing it. Just the few words I've read about the work and the artist's background contextualises it enough for me to enjoy it on a level beyond the purely aesthetic, even if that's not always a prerequisite for me personally.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/apr/13/jasleen-kaur-alter-altar-review-tramway-glasgow
What do you think?
Well there was a time when pretty much everything was under a crocheted doily, so why not the car :-)
I wonder if the doily is real, hand crocheted? Sounds time consuming!
I looked carefully at a couple of photos and it looked more like macramé to me, but the lace got considerably finer towards the edges.
I suppose I'll have to go and look, or we can wait for a first hand report from our Hackney Correspondent.
What do you think?
I think some museum staff had a bet amongst themselves along the lines of ''what is the silliest display we can put out that people will pay to see?"
If that is art, I suppose my car, with its array of bugs from 6 states splattered on the front could qualify as 'art'.
I think some museum staff had a bet amongst themselves along the lines of ''what is the silliest display we can put out that people will pay to see?"
To be fair to this work (which I haven't seen in person) it doesn't seem all that silly to me. The whole piece seems to be based around growing up in a Scottish-Asian family in the southside of Glasgow and I'd imagine the doily has some significance with that. The car is a replica of the Ford Escort her father drove when he first came from India. What really tickled me was the other work mentioned in the article; an old family photo blown up and embedded in a resin made of Irn Bru and rotti. Can't get much more Pollokshaws than that.
If you think that's silly, you'll love the work Martin Creed won the Turner Prize with in 2001. Work No. 227: The lights going on and off. Basically an empty room with the lights going on and off at five second intervals. I saw a later version with a slightly less intense interval a few years ago. He's also well known for Work No. 88 - A sheet of A4 paper crumpled into a ball and Work No. 79 Some Blu-Tack kneaded, rolled into a ball, and depressed against a wall. I have a lot of time for Martin Creed and his work. These early works might be silly, but if silly is absurd, that's what does it for me in art sometimes. I like that it is what it is what it is as far as the objects go. Completely literal. I also like his neon work and I've seen him sing his songs on stage. His exhibition at The Hayward in 2014 might be the best art exhibition I've ever been to. That featured a car too, Work 1686, a Ford Focus that could randomly open and close its doors, trunk and hood.
I suppose my car, with its array of bugs from 6 states splattered on the front could qualify as 'art'.
I suppose it could. My response when people say "But I could do that!" in response to an artwork would always be "Errr... but you didn't". Someone else did and made you say "But I could do that!" by doing it, so it becomes a bit of a moot point in that situation.
What a wonderful comment, GerryM!
I’m going to see if I can check out the exhibition this week. The comments have piqued my curiosity! :-)
when you do go, Volva, have a look up when you get to that exhibit. I understand that the ceiling treatment is part of the whole installation, too, but I don't have any decent info on it.
After talking about it, I had to Google and see if there was an interview with the artist. Tate's done an absolute belter of a video to accompany the work. Everything I hoped it would be when I hear her talk. I'd like to look at some of the photographs you see in the video displayed in the exhibition. I hope she wins.
Jasleen Kaur did indeed win The Turner Prize. Definitely the standout work from the nominees. I haven't seen it yet, but runs until 16th February.
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/dec/03/jasleen-kaur-38-wins-the-turner-prize-2024
I'd kind of like to see it too - and I'm pretty far from a modern art fan. Chagall is about as modern as I get ...
