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拍品专文
Interview with Marc Quinn about Tea in the Sahara
in conversation with Post-War and Contemporary Art Specialist, Lock Kresler
LK: Frozen elements, such as blood, flowers and other organic
materials, have been a consistent theme in your work.
What gave you the inspiration for your Flower Paintings?
MQ: I started the Flower Paintings in 2007 they come from frozen
sculptures and are a reflection of humans relationships with nature
and the planet. I remember visiting a flower market one day and
noticing how all these flowers that shouldn't be available at the same
time could be purchased so easily in one place because they are
flown in from halfway around the world. It perfectly illustrates how
human desire constantly reshapes natures limitations. The fact that
these flowers are always available to us is artificial and unnatural.
The other side to these works is that they are a celebration of
colour, life and sensuality. I always buy my flowers myself and arrange them as though I were creating a sculpture. So in a sense, the final
product is like the painting of a sculpture.
LK: We are offering one of your paintings, Tea in the Sahara,
in the forthcoming auction at Christie's. This is a particularly
unique example because it features a skull. What can you tell
us about the inclusion of this additional element?
MQ: There are only about a dozen of these paintings which feature
a skull and a lot of people actually dont notice it for a very long
time. It was just a natural evolution from the original concept.
The composition is not that different from a classical memento mori painting. The skull depicts the human condition in its most
decomposed state, whilst the flowers are captured in their most
vibrant moments. The juxtaposition creates a rather poignant
message: You may end but life goes on Nature always triumphs.
LK: You recently completed this series of hyperrealist Flower
Paintings. What are you working on now?
MQ: Yes, I have stopped the realist pieces and moved on to create
some black and white flower paintings, and another series in reversed
colours. The black and white versions have a very strong sculptural
element to them. Meanwhile the reverse or negative images are
pictures from a topsy turvy world. They are like drugs for people who
don't take drugs. The forms tend to become other things and you
have to really pick apart the painting to decipher what you are looking at. I started the negative paintings about a year ago, when the world
seemed to be turning upside down. I think I will always create Flower
Paintings, but will keep finding new ways to develop them. I have also been devoting a lot of time to a new series of sculptures which will
appear for the first time in my new show at White Cube.
LK: Do you have a favourite flower to work with?
MQ: Orchids are very special. They're extremely sculptural and
object-like. At the same time they are full of sensuality. They're like pornography that your granny can look at. Its a beautiful paradox.
LK: What has been your greatest inspiration as an artist?
MQ: I love ancient art. I'm also a huge fan of Michelangelo, Picasso
and Boetti... I'm an omnivore. I just take it all in and some of it sticks.
in conversation with Post-War and Contemporary Art Specialist, Lock Kresler
LK: Frozen elements, such as blood, flowers and other organic
materials, have been a consistent theme in your work.
What gave you the inspiration for your Flower Paintings?
MQ: I started the Flower Paintings in 2007 they come from frozen
sculptures and are a reflection of humans relationships with nature
and the planet. I remember visiting a flower market one day and
noticing how all these flowers that shouldn't be available at the same
time could be purchased so easily in one place because they are
flown in from halfway around the world. It perfectly illustrates how
human desire constantly reshapes natures limitations. The fact that
these flowers are always available to us is artificial and unnatural.
The other side to these works is that they are a celebration of
colour, life and sensuality. I always buy my flowers myself and arrange them as though I were creating a sculpture. So in a sense, the final
product is like the painting of a sculpture.
LK: We are offering one of your paintings, Tea in the Sahara,
in the forthcoming auction at Christie's. This is a particularly
unique example because it features a skull. What can you tell
us about the inclusion of this additional element?
MQ: There are only about a dozen of these paintings which feature
a skull and a lot of people actually dont notice it for a very long
time. It was just a natural evolution from the original concept.
The composition is not that different from a classical memento mori painting. The skull depicts the human condition in its most
decomposed state, whilst the flowers are captured in their most
vibrant moments. The juxtaposition creates a rather poignant
message: You may end but life goes on Nature always triumphs.
LK: You recently completed this series of hyperrealist Flower
Paintings. What are you working on now?
MQ: Yes, I have stopped the realist pieces and moved on to create
some black and white flower paintings, and another series in reversed
colours. The black and white versions have a very strong sculptural
element to them. Meanwhile the reverse or negative images are
pictures from a topsy turvy world. They are like drugs for people who
don't take drugs. The forms tend to become other things and you
have to really pick apart the painting to decipher what you are looking at. I started the negative paintings about a year ago, when the world
seemed to be turning upside down. I think I will always create Flower
Paintings, but will keep finding new ways to develop them. I have also been devoting a lot of time to a new series of sculptures which will
appear for the first time in my new show at White Cube.
LK: Do you have a favourite flower to work with?
MQ: Orchids are very special. They're extremely sculptural and
object-like. At the same time they are full of sensuality. They're like pornography that your granny can look at. Its a beautiful paradox.
LK: What has been your greatest inspiration as an artist?
MQ: I love ancient art. I'm also a huge fan of Michelangelo, Picasso
and Boetti... I'm an omnivore. I just take it all in and some of it sticks.