A combination of artspeak and gossip, Matthew Collings' seemingly casual ruminations can reveal surprising depth beneath their absorbing surface: in a way he is crafting a new kind of art criticism, chic, clever, and street-smart, but with an edgy self-consciousness that mimics the style of contempor

Charming, Clever, Funny, Improvised, Pop

Fusing humanist concepts, shrewd observation, social commentary, and rather simple filming techniques, London-based artist Gillian Wearing unmasks the human condition in her clever but acutely poignant photographs and single-channel videos. Winner of the prestigious Turner Prize in 1997, Wearing expo

Erotic, Event, Improvised, Intense, Urban, Young british artists

Much has been made about Fiona Rae and her fellow British New-Wavers. Rae is both celebrated and criticized for her habit of copping the trademarks of American Abstractionists and Pop artists, but at the heart of her second-generation appropriation is an analytical concern for technique. Her canvases

Abstract painting, Citational, Ebullient, Fleeting, Improvised, Young british artists

The pioneer of American Pop art began using mass-media images in his work in the mid-1950s. His use of appropriated newspaper and magazine images and found objects is central to his aesthetic theory: "Painting relates to both art and life. Neither can be made. I try to act in that gap between the two

Chance, Composed, Improvised, Kaleidoscopic, Open-ended