b. 1967
Born in 1967 in Guildford, Gavin Turk received his formal training at the Chelsea School of Art (1986 -1989) before attending the Royal College of Art (1989 – 1991). Turk is known for his ironic approach toward issues of authorship, identity and authenticity in art. His installations and sculptures often employ everyday objects or manufactured items and often incorporate iconic images of figures taken from popular culture and art historical sources. In the 1990s, he became a part of the generation known as the Young British Artists, alongside Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin.
Turk’s work includes a series of life-sized wax sculptures of himself posed as the historical figures Jean-Paul Marat, Che Guevara, and Elvis Presley. He has been awarded the Jack Goldhill Sculpture Prize and the Charles Wollaston Award by the Royal Academy of Arts. He currently lives and works in London. His work is housed in collections at the Tate in London, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Caldic Collection in Rotterdam, among others.
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Watch: The Book Voucher with Gavin Turk
