FREE THE SOUND ED SYKES ED MARCUS HARVEY AND THE FURY MARCUS HARVEY PHOTOGRAPHED IN LONDON BY BY LONDON IN PHOTOGRAPHED HARVEY MARCUS 20| HOT&COOL ART MARCUS HARVEY Ed Sykes Marcus Harvey in studio MONKEYS AND BANANAS Notorious for his subject matter, one time YBA Marcus Harvey continues to court controversy in a new exhibition while his practice of ‘thinking with your thumbs’ proves inspirational to a young generation of painters TEXT ANNA McNAY | PORTRAIT ED SYKES LOSE FRIENDS it showed ‘a sole disregard not only for the I had always felt that, insulting a German, with Damien Hirst emotional pain and trauma that would I had the moral high ground, and I and one of Charles inevitably be experienced by the families of thought “island monkey” was quite a Saatchi’s YBA the Moors victims but also the families of weak comeback, but actually it was more darlings, Marcus any child victim’.1 politically insightful than it seemed. Harvey (b1963) is Whatever I threw at him – “Nazi” etc – probably best known Ever contentious, Harvey has gone on to didn’t touch on the thoughtfulness and Marcus Harvey Myra 1995 Cfor his controversial produce works that feature the likes of wisdom of that particular insight.’ Three Courtesy Vigo Gallery, London portrait of Moors Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and decades later and the insult seemed fitting murderer Myra Hindley, created from Napoleon. His paintings of mountains in as ‘a nice catch-all for an expanded Punch handprints taken from a plaster cast of a the context of Hitler’s Berghof now hang and Judy show’, which is how he sees the child’s hand and shown in the notorious in leading art collector Christian Levett’s exhibition of new sculpture and painting, Sensation exhibition, held at the Royal exclusive Chalet Edelweiss, which not so much illustrating a theme, but Academy of Art in 1997. ‘It’s what people purports to be the largest and most concerned with island identity and, know about me,’ says Harvey grudgingly. luxurious free-standing chalet in the fittingly for Hastings, the sea. ‘It’s a bit of a burden.’ The painting Alps. The Hitler reference was, however, certainly attracted attention and had removed, and the mountains were turned Harvey describes his work as dealing to be temporarily removed after being into a backdrop for the City of London. with ‘the national psyche’. His subjects attacked twice – by fellow artists – on ‘have to be old enough not just to be in the opening day, once with ink and once Harvey’s exhibition at the Jerwood Gallery the contemporary news, but embedded in with eggs. Windows at Burlington House in Hastings, he entitled Inselaffe (Island the national consciousness’. He thinks of were smashed and four members of the Monkey), a derogatory German term for his characters as a ‘cast’ or ‘troupe’ and Academy – Craigie Aitchison, Gillian the English, which Harvey learnt from the often they recur in different works. ‘A lot Ayres, Michael Sandle and John Ward – head chef at a restaurant where he worked of what I do is normal human stuff. A lot resigned in protest at the work’s inclusion. as a dishwasher some 30 years ago. ‘There is socially specific to the context of my Even Hindley herself wrote from prison was a battle of insults going on and the own geography,’ he says. ‘I suppose requesting that the portrait be removed as head chef threw out the term Inselaffe. ultimately a show of all these figures 14 | STATE 01 www.state-media.com www.state-media.com STATE 20 | 15 MONKEYS AND BANANAS STIK ON MESSAGE together would be a backdrop to the certain things he needs to pull out for a island. My work is not a political or social ‘My work is not a political story. A painter really will just be talking comment as such – the comment is my about the painting. It’s the niche experience. embracing these figures as being socially or social comment as such – They’re defended by the palette. They’re significant. Who they come together defended by the priesthood of painting. with is the comment. I don’t necessarily the comment is my embracing They are able to tell the truth and be say this is a good person or this is a respected for it because there’s no pain. bad person.’ these figures as being They don’t have to be balanced. I balance the voices in the magazine, so they don’t Being insularly focused does raise a socially significant’ have to take that upon themselves. You slight barrier for international acceptance, don’t get a political voice, which is what but Harvey is clear that this is not a { } happens everywhere else and filters out barrier he would want to dilute: ‘Then people’s real thoughts. Journalists are it would become like Starbucks,’ he because it’s descriptive, whereas sculpture As well as maintaining his own studio, worried about getting a bollocking says. ‘I try to make my painting relevant would be more animal. My initial idea is Harvey – along with fellow painter Peter from their editor for saying this or not to my own experience of the world. I always a visual one. I draw it, I see it, I Ashton Jones – is behind Turps Banana, saying that. Always money is at stake.’ need to report back from the reality of think about it for years. It’s never a case a project set up in 2005, which now the world.’ of “This means that and this means the embraces a magazine, a gallery and an art Last year the Turps project received other”, it’s always something you see. The school. The magazine is published twice some Arts Council funding. The school A lot of Harvey’s paintings use a meaning is important but it’s not the front a year, with full-colour reproductions monochrome palette. ‘It simplifies things,’ of the idea – it’s not language. Even with and a commitment to no advertising. Top: Maggie Island 2015 he explains. ‘I like colour, but a colour writing, the logic and the language should Described by Harvey as ‘a bulwark against Left: Trophy 2015 palette is more complex. What I do be the last thing. Even when you’re using the market’, it contains writing about Below: Tragic Historical Head 2015 is something to do with journalism, words, the idea should come without painting – by painters. ‘A professional Opposite: Big Girl 2015 something to do with photography. necessarily being understood.’ writer is a professional writer,’ explains Black and white aligns itself to history and Harvey of this decision. ‘He will have Courtesy Vigo Gallery, London seriousness. I use it as a Richter/Kiefer type thing. It’s to do with the past. When it’s to do with the present, colour sneaks in. When I think of the future, I think in colour, strangely.’ His works often begin with digital drawings and he has also recently been working more with sculpture and ceramics, but painting remains the ‘main thing’: ‘I don’t feel the need to define painting. It's flat. It’s got stuff on it. That stuff can grow into the real world. I have my political subject matter and my project as a painter, which involves the development of the language of painting out from the norm. It’s very hard to define what it is. Kiefer would stick an aeroplane on the wall and call it a painting and you couldn’t really disagree with him. Mine are more modulated – mainly stuff that I move around with my hands. It’s a primal urge. ‘Making a painting is a description of something three-dimensional that starts talking about becoming three-dimensional. It’s to do with the cerebral and the animal: making a painting would be more cerebral, 16 | STATE 20 www.state-media.com www.state-media.com STATE 19 | 17 MONKEYS AND BANANAS MARCUS HARVEY Toby Clarke in front of Albus 2009 (Ed Sykes) The Vigo Gallery has represented Marcus Harvey since the artist’s departure from White Cube around four and a half years ago. Vigo director, Toby Clarke, has been a long time admirer of both Harvey’s painting and his publication, Turps. Clarke remembers: ‘We first met when I was director at the Fine Art Society. We started by helping with Turps magazine and became friends. We did his first show of ceramic works – an entirely new direction for him and from where his current paintings and sculptures emerged. The show was very successful with nearly everything finding homes’. STATE: Is it difficult promoting a painter who also works with sculpture? Toby Clarke: No – the work is all inter-related. The sculptures sell very well. Does Harvey’s self-defined British experience [a sentiment that informs his work] have an international appeal? With the more sophisticated and established collectors, yes – very much so. But it is not something for a novice collector, really… What makes the man behind the ‘I don’t feel the need to art of special interest to you on a personal level? define painting. It's flat. It’s got Each time I see him he is in a different state of fancy dress. He is also a kind stuff on it. That stuff can grow loyal and talented individual and I count him as a great friend as well as {}into the real world’ being his minion [laughter]. What immediate collaborations do you have scheduled? is fee-paying. Otherwise, money is raised Harvey feels ought to have a degree of We have the Jerwood Gallery exhibition by ‘going down on bended knee and commercial recognition.