In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Teachers' Pack
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In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Angus Fairhurst, Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas 3 March - 31 May 2004 Tate Britain Supported by TATE MEMBERS Spring media partner The Daily Telegraph Notes for Teachers, GCSE and AS/A2 students by Angie MacDonald Angus Fairhurst, A Couple of Differences Between Thinking and Feeling (Solo) 2002 © the artist courtesy Sadie Coles HQ Essential information for schools before planning your visit Please be aware that this exhibition contains some challenging material of a sexual nature. We advise teachers to make a preliminary visit to the exhibition before bringing students, to decide whether or not it would be suitable. Changes were made to the exhibition right up to the last moment. Be sure to pick up a ground plan and up-to-date list of exhibits before you go in, Contents l Introduction l In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: some facts and questions l Questions to consider l Themes and issues to explore l Angus Fairhurst biography supplied by Tate l Damien Hirst biography supplied by Tate l Sarah Lucas biography supplied by Tate l Resources and further research Introduction In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a collaboration between three of Britain's best-known contemporary artists. Angus Fairhurst, Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas have worked together to create a full- scale exhibition installation that could be described as an excessive landscape. 'For this exhibition, the artists have created a vision of paradise which deviates from clichéd associations with natural beauty. Run riot at the corners, this is not a place of serenity. An encroaching tabloid media and cheap commercial strategies make up its surroundings while at the centre lies sex, death and destruction, as might be said of the original Garden of Eden' Gregor Muir, exhibition curator. How do we approach In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida? This exhibition provides an excellent opportunity for students to consider the work of three contemporary British artists and to consider the Brit Art phenomenon and the role of art in today's world. It is an exciting and thought-provoking exhibition and could connect to a wide range of project work. You can draw out issues in art both past and present by making comparisons between works of historic and modern art from the Tate Collection and work in In- A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Links could also be made to previous Turner Prize exhibitions. This pack is for teachers and for GCSE and AS/A2 students. It aims to provide: l information about the exhibition l suggestions of themes and issues to discuss l information on resources available l information on each of the three artists l a "key work" focus for each artist which you can photocopy to use in the exhibition In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida: some facts and questions Why is it called In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida? The title is taken from the 1968 recording by the American psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly and is a reference to the biblical theme of the Garden of Eden. Apparently the lead singer Doug Ingle was so drunk at the time of composing the song that was intended to be called 'In the Garden of Eden', that the phonetically slurred version was noted down and subsequently used. This exhibition uses the title as a setting in which to explore themes of life, love, sex, death and destruction. Visitors are challenged to consider whether there is any possibility of a Garden of Eden or whether we are in some sort of everyday hell. What sort of works will you see? The exhibition is described as an installation and has been planned and conceived as a complete work in itself. It includes well-known works by all three artists as well as major new works created especially for the exhibition. The range of media, materials and processes is striking - it includes paintings, sculptures, installations, text-based work, assemblages and photographic work. You can stop at a pond, consider ordering a pizza, worship dead flies, wander through woodland with exotic butterflies or come face to face with overprinted newspaper headlines. You will also find Zeppelins, candy covered pigs, a dilapidated truck and bronze gorillas. Why these three artists? This exhibition is, essentially, a celebration of the friendship of the three artists Angus Fairhurst, Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas. Apparently Lucas was invited to have a solo show at Tate Britain but she declined requesting instead that a three-way collaboration between herself, Fairhurst, and Hirst was considered. Lucas says, 'this is more experimental. More mental. And physical. It's about maintaining a level of excitement. It's a conversation I've been waiting to have a long time….' The three have known each other for over 17 years. They first met as students at Goldsmiths College in South London in 1986. They first exhibited together in Freeze, an exhibition curated by Hirst in 1988. Fairhurst has collaborated directly with both Lucas and Hirst before. Fairhurst and Hirst even shared a studio for a while in Bermondsey, and in 1995 Lucas and Fairhurst took a studio together in Clerkenwell, London. However, this is the first time that they have all three worked collaboratively. Having known each other a very long time - what do these artists have in common? It is interesting to consider their shared interests and common themes. And this is a unique exhibition - unlike a solo or group show, the works you see have been created, selected and installed with this collaboration in mind. Despite this, each artist still stands apart as they pursue their own artistic enquiry and at times there seems to be little or no connection between them. What is Brit Art? Fairhurst, Hirst and Lucas are all associated with the phenomenon of YBA (Young British Artists) and the Brit Art scene of the 1990s. The generation known as Young British Artists were born between the mid 1960s and the 1970s and emerged from art schools in the late 1980s. Set against the backdrop of Thatcher's Britain, major changes were taking place in these educational establishments and both teachers and students came together to consider contemporary life and culture. Goldsmiths College was at the forefront of these changes where teachers such as Jon Thompson, Richard Wentworth and Michael Craig-Martin encouraged critical debate and challenged traditional divisions between departments such as painting, sculpture and photography. How and when did it start? The YBAs challenged the complacency of the establishment and looked for alternative ways to present and exhibit their art. Their work made use of a diverse range of materials, including found objects and ready-mades, using quotation and deconstruction to express what they felt about contemporary culture. These artists used their work to address social issues and taboo subjects and consequently received much press attention. With an air of optimism and self- confidence they worked collectively to promote themselves. While still at college, Hirst organised the Freeze exhibition in 1988 in a Dockland warehouse. This show included his work and the work of his Goldsmiths contemporaries and is usually considered the start of the Brit Art scene. Others in the Freeze exhibition included now well known artists such as Angela Bulloch, Mat Collishaw, Ian Davenport, Tracey Emin, Anya Gallaccio, Gary Hume, Michael Landy, Simon Patterson, Fiona Rae, Sam Taylor-Wood and Gillian Wearing. How artists and galleries worked together New spaces and galleries provided the exposure for the Brit Art generation. Fairhurst, Hirst and Lucas have all been involved in unusual ways to promote and exhibit their art. They have all exhibited independently at Jay Jopling's legendary gallery, White Cube. Jopling remains Hirst's dealer while Lucas and Fairhurst are with Sadie Coles HQ in London. They have also taken part in group shows such as Brilliant! New Art From London at the Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis in 1995. The collector Charles Saatchi has played a key role in the Brit Art scene. He converted an old paint factory into a gallery in north London to show his collection of mainly young and unknown artists. Saatchi bought up graduating students' work and held onto it until its value increased, thereby promoting the status of the YBAs. London rapidly became the centre of the international art world in the 1990s. Artists such as Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst achieved celebrity status. In 1997 the Royal Academy of Arts staged the exhibition Sensation providing a survey of work by Saatchi's artists. Today The Saatchi Collection is sited permanently on London's South Bank. The opening of Tate Modern in 2000 has often been described as the culmination of the Brit Art scene with many of these artists now included within the Tate Collection. In 2004 it is interesting to reflect on the Brit Art phenomenon and consider, with the help of this exhibition, where these artists are now and what their work has to say about art and life today. Visit this exhibition and decide for yourself! Some general questions to consider in the exhibition l What do these three artists seem to be interested in? (You could make a list) l What sorts of materials and techniques do they work with? Do you think that art can be made of anything? l Why do you think they use so many ordinary everyday objects and materials? How do they transform them? l What do you think is the difference between two objects made of the same material, one of which has an everyday function while the other is declared art? l Many of the works have quite elaborate or dramatic titles. Why do you think this is? l Can you find any works that make you smile or laugh? If so why do you find it/them humorous? l The title In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is taken from a song by the rock band Iron Butterfly.