Gillian Wearing Overview

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 exposes the... [more]

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 exposes the mundane, tawdry details of contemporary life with almost clinical detachment, forcing us to reassess how much -- or how little -- our lives are made of. Her acclaimed 1996 video piece "Sixty Minute Silence" involved filming three rows of men and women dressed in police uniforms and posed as though for a group portrait. Projected onto a large screen, the piece dominates an entire gallery space. At first, the subjects are so still that the image is mistaken for a photograph. As time progresses, however, subtle movements blossom into full-blown discomfort -- the performance soon becomes an endurance test, with several dozen policemen reduced to fidgety children. As it subjugates traditional authority figures by placing them in civilized captivity, the piece becomes a commentary on the ephemeral nature of social power. Sometimes Wearing's art focuses more closely on the individual, as in her 1992 photographic piece, "Signs that say what you want them to say and not Signs that say what someone else wants you to say." Here Wearing intercepted random passers-by on the street and asked them to write messages of their own choosing on large pieces of paper. The results are almost painfully intimate. Particularly moving is the photograph of a mild-mannered young businessman whose sign reads simply, "I'm Desperate." Mimicking the television documentary, Wearing incisively explores the complexities of everyday life, revealing deep-seated human trauma and touching on difficult issues of identity and self-presentation -- how we reconcile our outward selves with our true feelings and desires. As Wearing reflects, "Above all, I really love people who go through life without compromise and stick to their character, even if it means they remain unemployed, or they don't have any friends or relationships...We all have a certain madness about us and these people don't mind showing it. Which leads me to believe that the most insane thing you can ever do is try to be sane." [show less]