Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Turk, Gavin
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Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
born 1967
History
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
British visual artist. In the 1990s, he became a part of the generation known as the Young British Artists. Turk is known for his ironic approach towards issues of authorship in art. Often employing everyday objects or manufactured items, his works deal with issues of identity, especially those pertaining to an artist’s name and signature. In paintings, photographs, sculpture and video installations, Turk explores how particular pieces of art achieve masterpiece status and how artists themselves become celebrities. His subsequent works include a series of life-sized wax sculptures of himself posed as the historical figures Jean-Paul Marat, Che Guevara and Elvis Presley.