Martin Creed | Work No. 2609

Martin Creed

Work No. 2609

London, UK: Tate, 2015,

21 x 15.3 x 21.5 cm.

Edition of 50

Every two years, an artist represented in the Tate collection is invited to become the Tate Members "commissioned artist", as a way of recognizing and celebrating the support Tate Members provide to the four Tate galleries. Martin Creed accepted the Tate Members commission for 2015-17. To coincide with this, the artist produced this limited edition piece. Each work is created using twenty-eight chosen acrylic colours, hand thrown on Perspex. 

Work No. 2609 is produced in an edition of 50, each of which is unique.

“The main problem is that life is difficult, I’m just trying to make my life better. In the case of colours, it makes me happy to look at these colours. Anything you can do to make your life better is really worth trying to do.”

- Martin Creed

2012 Olympic Posters

Every year since 1912, the city hosting the Olympics or Paralympic Games commissioned at least one poster project to celebrate. A hundred years later, London commissioned twelve posters, by some of the most acclaimed British visual artists of the day. These include Fiona Banner (pictured below), Michael Craig-Martin, Martin Creed (below, bottom), Tracey Emin (below), Anthea Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Gary Hume, Sarah Morris, Chris Ofili, Bridget Riley, Bob and Roberta Smith (below) and Rachel Whiteread. The Tate Modern held an exhibition of the works to coincide with the 2012 games. 

The Olympic posters: 

Martin Creed "Work No. 1273”

Anthea Hamilton “Divers"

Howard Hodgkin “Swimming"

Chris Ofili "For the Unknown Runner”

Bridget Riley "Rose Rose”

Rachel Whiteread "LOndOn 2O12.”

The Paralympic posters:

Fiona Banner "Superhuman Nude”

Michael Craig-Martin “GO"

Tracey Emin "Birds 2012”

Gary Hume“Capital"

Sarah Morris "Big Ben 2012”

Bob and Roberta Smith "LOVE.”

Martin Creed also created “Work No. 1197: All the Bells in a Country Rung as Loudly as Possible for Three Minutes,” to take place from 8 to 8:03 a.m. on July 27, the first day of the Olympics. The festival’s web site explained that the idea was to encourage the entire nation “to ring thousands of bells at the same time, whether school bells, church bells, town hall bells, bicycle bells or doorbells.

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers refused to participate n the project, stating "We are not able to work closely with this project as we believe it is misconceived … We think 8am is not the right time for ringing in very many towers … We do not believe ringing for three minutes nor ringing as fast as possible is really suitable for church bell ringers.” 

A smaller group of enthusiasts visited the clock tower known as Big Ben and brought their own bells. Watch the short video, here. 

Martin Creed Work No.74

Martin Creed

Work No.74 

London, UK: Self-published, 1992

10.1 x 10.1 x 10.1 cm.

Edition of 100 [+5 AP] signed and numbered copies

Originally an unlimited edition, this works consists of ''As many 1 inch squares as are necessary cut from a length of 1 inch masking tape and piled up, adhesive sides down to form a 1 inch stack."

Packaged in Styrofoam, the work was typically accompanied by a typed letter outlining the artists intentions: 

"If anything, this work began as an attempt to make something, if not nothing. If that, the problem was to attempt to establish, amongst other things, what material something could be, what shape something could be, what size something could be, how something could be constructed, how something could be positioned [...] and how many of something there could be, or should be, if any, if at all."

Like all of Creed’s work, it is numbered rather than titled. Works numbered 67, 75, 76, 77 and 78 are near-identical. 

I worked at Art Metropole shortly after they hosted Creed’s first Canadian (North American?) solo exhibition. One of these was left stuck to the windowsill in the office, to basically rot in the sunlight. 

Martin Creed Live

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/martin-creed-and-his-band-tickets-773692684647

Martin Creed | Everything's Going to be Alright

Martin Creed 

Everything's Going to be Alright

London, UK: Hauser & Wirth Gallery, 2022

11 3/4 × 16 1/2"

Edition of 200 signed, titled and numbered copies

Martin Creed's Work No. 3531 is a colour giclee print housed in a bespoke archival box, an image of a temporary installation of his neon Work No. 3435: EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE ALRIGHT. 

Martin Creed | Totebag (Art is shit)

Martin Creed

Totebag (Art is shit)

Wassenaar, Netherlands: Museum Voorlinden, 2017

59 x 38 cm.

Edition size unknown

A tote bag with a quote from the artist that reads: 

"The more I work, the more I think I don't know what I am doing. I have absolutely no idea what I am doing. It is like sweat or shit. It comes out as I go along … Art is shit. Art galleries are toilets. Curators are toilet attendants. Artists are bullshitters."

The sentiment (which resonates more so on some days than others) was originally written for the forward of the 2014 book Martin Creed: Works. 

The yellow tote bag was produced in conjunction with the exhibition SAY CHEESE!, which ran from January 21st to June 11th, 2017.

Available from the publisher, here, for €7,50.

Happy Mother's Day

 

Martin Creed | I Can't Move

Martin Creed
I Can't Move
Toronto, Canada: Art Metropole, 1999
12.4 × 14.3 cm.
Edition size unknown

Martin Creed's first solo EP, released on CD twenty years ago, is being reissued this year on vinyl by the publisher, Art Metropole, who is also hosting a performance by the artist later this month.

Martin Creed: Getting Changed is a one-person show described as "a hybrid of a talk, a concert, and a cabaret" which "explores borders both personal and national, communication in the form of clothes, and words as clothes for feelings—presented in his witty, responsive, freestyle way."

This concert, which kicks off a North American tour, takes place on September 22nd, at 8pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here.

Martin Creed | Work No. 78

Martin Creed
Work No. 78 
London, UK: Self-published, 1993
10.1 x 10.1 cm.
Edition of 50 signed and numbered copies [+ 5 AP]

As many 2.5 cm squares of Elastoplast tape as are necessary, piled up, to form a 2.5 cm cubic stack. House in a polystyrene box.

Martin Creed | Work No. 376: People

Martin Creed
Work No. 376: People
Self-published, 2004
green neon
14.5 x 77 cm.
Edition of 3 signed and numbered copies [+1 AP]

Martin Creed/Matthew Higgs | Issue 13

Martin Creed/Matthew Higgs

Issue 13

San Francisco, USA: The Thing Quarterly, 2010

41.5 x 32 x 1 cm. 

Edition size uknown

A boxed picture-disk record featuring the Martin Creed song "My Advice", mixed by David Cunningham and featuring vocals by Creed and Anouchka Grose. Creed's portrait adorns the A-side and the B-side features an image of artist/curator Matthew Higgs, with what seems to be his sole contribution to the collaborative project. 

This Week on Tumblr: Martin Creed

http://artistsbooksandmultiples.tumblr.com/tagged/Martin-Creed