The recent Palm Springs Fine Art Fair in March brought art lovers and art together in an incredible display of ideas and images.One particular piece,Forever,was an attention grabbing neon artwork by artist Tim Etchells.
Through simple phrases spelled out in neon,Etchells creates miniature narratives,moments of confusion,awkwardness,reflection and intimacy in public and gallery settings.Encountering these signs,in the streets of a city or in the space of a white cube gallery,the viewer becomes implicated in a situation that not fully revealed,or a linguistic formulation that generates confusion or ambiguity.As often in Etchells?work in these neons the missing parts of the picture are as important as the elements that are present.Invoking a story,or projecting an idea out-of-context,the work invites us in,but into what exactly we can be sure.
Tim Etchells is a Sheffield(UK)based artist who is fascinated by the ways in which language is constructed;how any text?from a few words to a seemingly endless story?follows rules and invokes associations.In each of his projects,something occurs,there is an encounter or an event unfolds,and through his use of language,narratives are revealed,new stories constructed as others recede.
As an artist he has recently exhibited at Gasworks,London(2010),Goteborg International Biennale,Sweden(2009),Bloomberg Space,London(2008),Art Sheffield,Sheffield(2008)and Manifesta 7,Rovereto,Italy(2008).He was also co-curator of Performing Sculpture,a section of the Tate Liverpool collection display DLA Piper Series:This is Sculpture,Liverpool(2009).
