More works by Marc Quinn
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Flower Paintings
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About the Work
What if plants were no longer content to attract only bees and insects, but started to set their sights on more ambitious targets: people? What if our attention were fundamental to their continued existence? This thought is the inspiration behind Marc Quinn’s supremely colourful, almost unreal flower arrangements that would be hard to top in terms of sheer opulence. And these bright, garish images do, in fact, have an irresistible allure, with overstimulation serving as their aesthetic principle.
The portrayal of flowers through diverse artistic mediums is an ongoing theme in Quinn’s work. In 2013, his installation “The Rush of Nature” – a giant orchid cast in bronze – attracted widespread attention at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show in London.
Human intervention in nature plays a central role in Quinn’s art – in this case, the subjects of his pieces are frozen in silicone and often assembled using elements from different types of plants, placing his work right at the intersection between art and science.
About the Artist
Marc Quinn belongs to the Young British Artists movement, alongside big names such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, and Jake and Dinos Chapman, who conquered the art world in the 1990s with their thrilling and at times provocative work. His sculpture “Self”, a replica of the artist’s head made of his own frozen blood, featured in the legendary Sensation exhibition that caused international controversy in 1997. Curated by notorious collector Charles Saatchi for London’s Royal Academy of Arts, the show generated a media storm and brought its young artists lasting recognition.
Like many of his contemporaries in the Young British Artists, Quinn creates figurative works. A particular fascination for the vulnerability and mortality of the human body is a clear theme running through his diverse oeuvre. He combines art with the knowledge and technical possibilities of science to address life’s existential questions.
Many of Quinn’s sculptures have been displayed in public spaces. “Alison Lapper Pregnant”, for example, was installed in Trafalgar Square and later replicated for the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games. Quinn was the first artist to be represented by Jay Jopling, the legendary art dealer and founder of the White Cube Gallery. Quinn’s work can be found in the world’s most important art collections, including the Museum of Modern Art and Tate Britain. In 2003, Quinn took part in the Venice Biennale.
Technique
Quinn often works with organic materials, which he transforms into sculptures and subsequently preserves through a freezing process. The images in this series are based on flower arrangements that the artist froze in silicone. The arrangements were captured in hyper-realistic paintings that served as the templates for his prints.
By exaggerating and inverting the colours, Quinn achieves a certain artificiality – expressing the human manipulation of nature artistically. At the same time, he uses this technique to deconstruct the concept of the living model – the flowers, which actually die during the freezing process, remain preserved in a fresh, lively state.
Daniela KummleVITA
1964 Born in London, UK Studied History and Art History at Robinson College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK Worked as an assistant to sculptor Barry Flanagan 2012 A replica of Quinn’s famous sculpture “Alison Lapper Pregnant” was displayed on the main stage at the Opening Ceremonies of the Paralympics Lives and works in London, UK
