Ceal Floyer, RIP

Very sad to hear that Ceal Floyer has died, at the age of 57. 

I just posted one of her editions on Monday, and at the time wondered why I hadn’t seen new work from her for a while. Apparently she had been ill for some time. 

I met her once, at a party thrown by collector Paul Marks (the doctor for the Toronto Raptors). He had purchased the Canadian version of her Monochrome Till Receipt (White). The work consists of a simple grocery store shopping receipt, spray mounted to the wall. 

It’s a still life consisting of a list of items, and a monochrome because everything purchased is white. It’s also a performance and document. 

The project began in 1999 (Tate Britain bought the first), produced in an edition of ten and - if I recall correctly - there was only one available per country. The other eight in the series are American, Japanese, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Swiss. Seven are in private collections. 

Paul flew in Floyer, they went shopping together, and then he hosted a party in his home, in her honour. 

We spoke for less than ten minutes, as it was a busy party. I remember her asking about my friend Mitch Robertson’s work, installed on the floor. 

Her work was conceptual and playful, smart and funny. She made many pieces I wish I owned, and many I wish I had thought of first. 

"Monochrome needs to be produced locally in order to avoid reading it as an exotic curiosity. It counts on its unremarkable outward appearance for its subsequent conceptual transformation.”

- Ceal Floyer