Artist Profile :
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
Artist Profile :
KEITH TYSON
Turner Prize winner , Keith Tyson , is fascinated by the human condition and his art is a reflection of the ongoing complexities that we face every day . We spoke to him about his upcoming collection at the Jerwood Gallery , Hastings .
© Scott Douglas
From left to right : Turn Back Now , Of Course I Know That You Don ’ t Exist , Pascal ’ s Tower Of Lights © Keith Tyson
How would you describe your art ?
I paint and draw . I write and I make sculptures . Like every other artist who has ever lived , my work is simply a response to the world I live in , and it seems to me at least that we live in quite a complex one currently .
What inspired your current exhibition - is it a retrospective ?
My studio wall drawings are like a visual diary that I have been keeping for over 20 years . I ’ ve always thought that I would like to show a great many of them together at some point , and show the scale of what we all navigate as human beings . Although the events are mainly autobiographical , I hope they speak of more universal conditions that we all experience . The Jerwood Gallery is a lovely space and quite local to me , so I jumped at the chance . It ’ s a partial retrospective I guess , but only of one particular aspect of my practice – my work on paper over the last two decades .
How has the nature and style of your drawings changed over the years ?
It has been interesting to see the changes over time . I was originally very interested in science and mathematics and my drawings were quite geeky , but as I ’ ve grown older and had children etc , they have become distinctly more emotional . Then there are the societal changes – the smartphone , the ability to record everyday moments , social media with everyone now posting images on their own ‘ walls ’, as well as Photoshop and other technologies that I can use in the studio . All these things have affected my work because we are dynamic beings ; we change all the time .
Do you have a favourite piece or collection ?
That ’ s so hard to answer ; like choosing a favourite child . Some are more visually arresting , others mean more to me because of personal attachment to the events they depict , others are more intellectually stimulating . I guess if I was forced to pick just one I ’ d say the title piece , Turn Back Now , from 2001 , because it ’ s all three .
You won the Turner Prize in 2002 . Has this influenced or affected the direction of your work since ?
How could I ever know ? I mean it was quite a long time ago now and I have been going to the studio every week since . At the time , there was definitely an increased interest in my work , but I can never know what my work might have been like if I hadn ’ t won it . I suspect pretty similar though .
Where can we see your work ?
Well there are 365 works in Hastings for a start ! My exhibition , Turn Back Now , is running at The Jerwood Gallery until June 4th this year , after which I ’ ll be showing some of my flower paintings in Paris in the summer . I also have a room of works currently on show at the Pompidou in Paris .
www . keithtyson . com www . jerwoodgallery . org
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