Leaves and a waste bin feature in the exhibition of Martin Boyce, who talked to DAVID WHETSTONE to conclude our look at the four Turner Prize contenders.
IN ADVANCE of seeing their work at the Baltic, or of meeting any of the artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize, it was Martin Boyce who intrigued me the most.
I had found it difficult to get a handle on his aims and inspirations from the written material supplied ahead of the four mini exhibitions opening at Gateshead’s Centre for Contemporary Art.
There was reference to the forms and ideals of the modernist art movement of the early 20th Century and of Boyce’s fascination for the work of French designers.
This is what the judges had said: “Distinctive for the way that he employs his grammar of forms, Boyce’s sparse, intelligent sculptures evolve each time they are exhibited, exploring new tensions and new contrasts.”
Clearly Boyce’s work had to be seen in the context of its Baltic showing – and it was the first of the four exhibitions I went into.
Stepping over the brown ‘leaves’ scattered on the ground – having established that they were made rather than gathered outside the gallery – and raising an eyebrow at the waste bin (contemporary art mistaken for rubbish is the oldest joke in the book), I stood in the middle of the rectangular space and felt rather soothed.
Within the Boyce quarter of the Turner Prize exhibition there is evidence of craftsmanship, of tools having been deployed, and of things having been made and carefully placed. Those scattered leaves aside, there is none of the air of abandon suggested by the contrasting Karla Black show next door.
The labels on the wall tell us that we’re outside but inside, so to speak. The leaves, made of paraffin-coated crepe paper, are called Evaporated Pools. They are a water feature without the water and so perfect for convenient indoor maintenance.
Boyce, born in Hamilton in 1967 and a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, rather insinuates himself into the room and makes for the corner.
Quietly spoken, he agrees that he’s pleased to be shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2011 but says he approached the official opening weekend with “a blend of excitement and dread”, knowing the sort of media coverage this annual contemporary art contest can bring.
“It depends how you approach this sort of thing,” he says with a thin smile. “I’m not particularly interested in pushing myself as a personality but I’m more interested in how the work functions in the world.”
On the other hand: “Initially, when you start out, you don’t have an audience. You are making things for yourself and within the context of your own peer group.