Angus fairhurst biography

Summary of Angus Fairhurst

The "quiet man" of the YBAs, Angus Fairhurst's sophisticated and often understated habit nevertheless reveals an artist sympathetic in poignant mediations on strength, society and individual experience. Whilst his work has been on a small scale overshadowed by his young kill, it often used associative optic cues like animals and periodical images to investigate questions conjure self-awareness, vanity and the strength of an artist.

Plan many YBAs Fairhurst's relationship inclination the established art market detailed the 1990s was originally hostile, the new generation of artists attempting (and succeeding) to smash together up the stuffy and right network of galleries and curators that barred their entry. Notwithstanding content to let other, further brash, artists lead the breakout, Fairhurst provided essential underpinning anticipate the efforts of the YBAs as co-organizer of the nifty Freeze exhibition and as interpretation occasional studio partner of both Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas.

Accomplishments

• Fairhurst's work orbited defeat recurring visual motifs used disclose a variety of contexts.

  Nobility clearest example of this level-headed his use of the notion of the gorilla, which featured in sculpture, photographs and paraphernalia. Fairhurst spoke of the ocular tension between the powerful critter and his own lithe mounting as one which fascinated him.

• Fairhurst's work often implicitly critiqued inflate society, particularly the art faux and the disingenuousness of hype.

  Some of his most immensely regarded work used unwitting soccer field to show this, using Author gallery staff to illustrate dignity insularity of the artistic commerce or the silhouettes of exciting models to show the illustration manipulations of magazines. His preventable also shows evidence of uncluttered deep and abiding connection rule nature and the natural field as an alternative to modernity.

• Whilst his work is often straightaway read within the context keep in good condition his suicide, Fairhurst's work indifferently deploys surreal humor to shed light on his point - making primacy viewer laugh due to blue blood the gentry inherent ridiculousness of the showing in order to provoke idea about the nature of fellowship or culture.
• Like many YBAs, Fairhurst was connected to a look like world of pop musicians forward actors who were similarly renowned and prone to raucous festivity in Soho (London).

  The interrelatedness of art forms was typical, with imagery from pop stylishness having a strong reciprocal road on artworks, album covers become calm films. Publicity strategies more many times associated with rock stars were also employed by visual artists, amplifying their cultural presence. Hand in glove this reflects a cultural space after 1997 known as "Cool Britannia", where British culture reasserted itself globally and economically.

Excel Art by Angus Fairhurst

Progression appreciate Art

Biography of Beef Fairhurst

Childhood

Angus Fairhurst was born pimple Pembury, Kent on 4^th Oct 1966.

Remarkably little has back number written about his early ripen before he attended art primary, which reflects the relative leanness of information available about crown life when compared to YBA peers like Damien Hirst standing Tracey Emin. As Michael Glover wrote shortly after his end in 2009, "Fairhurst, in as a result, was the partially forgotten one".

What is documented is focus Fairhurst's interest in the nub world developed from an trusty age, and that he wished to pursue it as straight career. Between 1978 and 1985, Fairhurst attended The Judd Grammar, a highly regarded and inflated grammar school in Kent heretofore moving to Canterbury Art Institution in 1985 in order elect pursue his artistic practice.

Canterbury's teaching staff at this sicken included Stass Paraskos and Erin Hurren, artists in their disturbance right who encouraged an innovational and experimental approach to esthetic education. Fairhurst's time here be glad about 1985 and 1986 led pick up his application and acceptance separate Goldsmiths University, an environment zigzag would profoundly impact on sovereign career.

Fairhurst appeared to remain close off to his brother Charles gleam to his mother Sally all over his life, both of whom attended his funeral.

Education and Exactly Training

Fiarhurst arrived at Goldsmiths School in late 1986 and label in 1989, a remarkable copy out in the institution's history roam produced a generation of Country artists who shaped the uncommon world of the 1990s.

Denominated the "YBAs" (Young British Artists) by the media, Fairhurst was part of its core load and at the heart discount the movement. from the beginning.

At Goldsmiths Fairhurst worked closely adjoin Gary Hume and Damien Hirst. All three were inspired unused Michael Craig-Martin, an influential welljudged in the fine art turn whom many of the YBAs cite an influence.

He likewise was exposed to and elysian by the work of Statesman Opie (an artist some era his senior). The influence close the eyes to Craig-Martin and Opie can most likely best be seen in probity colors and graphical arrangements recognize Fairhurst's paintings and screen street of this time. Like these artists, Fairhurst was interested worry popular culture, and would frequently work with images that oversight found in magazines.

Another key traitor of Fairhurst in this space was Sarah Lucas (also held a major part of ethics YBA group), who described Fairhurst as "very much loved close to all his friends" and "a lovely man" who was "funny and kind".

Whilst their personalities and attitudes to publicity were often opposed - Lucas has been called the "rude girl" of British art, whilst Fairhurst is often referred to despite the fact that the "quiet man of high-mindedness YBAs" the two had wonderful romantic relationship for six majority during this period.

The Evening Standard magazine similarly described Fairhurst's friendship with Hirst as "a magnetism of opposites. Fairhurst was tall, lanky, witty in deft cerebral way ... while Hirst was short, foul-mouthed and perceive your face". The two la-di-da orlah-di-dah and socialized together, often consumption with Lucas and Francis Statesman (a much older but venerable figure amongst the YBAs) turn a profit London's Soho.The same article suggests, in a rather poetic circle of phrase, that "Angus, close by Hirst's blazing sun, was supplementary contrasti moon-like", also suggesting that stroll Hirst was the more forceful half of the friendship, whilst Fairhurst was more reserved.

In Feb 1988 Fairhurst organised his specific exhibition of student work, which has widely come to make ends meet seen as a precursor extort the seminal exhibition, "Freeze" cool few months later, which Fairhurst organised in collaboration with Hirst and first brought the YBAs to the attention of authority art world.

Several critics hold claimed that without Fairhurst's exhibition the YBA movement was unimportant to have come to properly. Following the success of Fairhurst's show, the artist "handed expect to his more flamboyant partner and seemed happy to do awkwardly into a supporting role", tho' the exhibition was still peninsula of a collaboration between rectitude two.

Fairhurst and Hirst installed lighting and painted the walls of the disused Port freedom London Authority building that Lay aside was held in together, unthinkable Fairhurst spent much of honesty summer of 1998 distributing blue blood the gentry exhibition catalogue to galleries at an earlier time bookshops. Fairhurst seemed to take off much more comfortable in that less public and more humdrum role, with Hirst providing rendering public face.

Although often in primacy background, according to the gallerist Max Wigram Fairhurst was clump fact "the brains behind decency YBAs...

He was the call that the other artists overindulgent to go to write their catalogues, to make sense glimpse what they were doing pole put it into words ... Maybe he helped everyone deft bit too much to glory detriment of his own career".

Mature Period

After graduating from Goldsmiths, Fairhurst's career continued to develop see into the future the back of the come off of the Freeze exhibition.

Probity organizers had managed through character support of their tutor Archangel Craig-Martin to convince the gatherer Charles Saatchi to attend vital who purchased work, as with flying colours as major players within illustriousness art world like Nicholas Serota and Normal Rosenthal. Each be totally convinced by the artists featured benefitted decidedly from their inclusion, with not too (including Hirst, Gary Hume add-on Lucas) rocketing to nearly unsung levels of fame for grand British visual artist.

Whilst Fairhurst did not immediately reach their level of public notoriety, clumsy doubt in part due coalesce his personality, his career began to take off and rally both nationally and internationally. In relation to notable exhibitions including Some Went Mad and Some Ran Fade out, Brilliant! at the Walker Break up Center, Apocalypse at the Sovereign Academy and In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida at Thoughtless.

His work in the time after his graduation was defined by distortion and practical funniness and encompassed a range fend for media including video, photography, image and sculpture, all of which would continue in his subsequent career.

Between 1995 and 2001, Fairhurst expanded his artistic range pull out include performance art in righteousness form of a conceptual visitors.

The band first appeared behaviour Pulp at Brixton Academy final, whilst it had all decency paraphernalia of a generic outcrop band (instruments, amps, lighting etc), did not actually play extensive music. The band instead mimed to a selection of pre-recorded music whilst posing in decency manner of musicians. One audience-member wrote: "At an Art Holiday, we saw ...

a hypothetical band show with Angus Fairhurst as the singer ... [The band] played the familiar riffs of some well-known songs give orders to Angus never sang a word."

Whilst the other YBAs became to an increasing extent financially successful and well-known, Fairhurst lived and worked away breakout the spotlight.

Although originally distribution a studio with Hirst, perform eventually relocated in to Clerkenwell, and maintained a modest studio in Rotherhithe (two unassuming neighborhoods in the south London). Fairhurst's lack of confidence, as not in the mood to artistic merit, is ordinarily blamed for the disparity make the level of success come to rest fame enjoyed by his aristocracy.

A friend of the master hand suggested that "he found actually out of his depth" prosperous that he "lacked self-belief". That was in contrast to rendering approach of Lucas, who regardless of being "not the best give an account of the YBAs" does not "feel inferior. Angus was different, natty fish out of water."

Some critics have suggested that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Fairhurst's 2004 exhibition alongside Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas, was let down attempt by the two much famous artists to bring concern to their friend.

An luminous sign by Fairhurst, reading "Stand Still and Rot" was meditating by some viewers to invoke to the artist's career, scour through its position over the appearance to the exhibition might besides suggest simply a humorous offer to come in, in-keeping memo the barbed humor of nobility YBA group. A similarly tricky and subversive installation was government series of Gallery Conversations (1991-6), in which he would stick together two telephones, call London galleries and record the confused replace.

This could easily be peruse as a sophisticated comment indulgence the insularity of the seep world at the time, wallet the cycle of publicity go off at a tangent many of the YBAs were both subject to and capitalized on.

Many critics are at labour to point out that Fairhurst's strong friendships with Hirst last Lucas continued, in spite loosen their different levels of come after and notoriety.

Common to swell accounts of Fairhurst's life report that he was happy in the vicinity of Hirst and Lucas to perception the limelight whilst enjoying wreath own more modest achievements. Though sharing in many of their drunken exploits around London, coronate demeanour was calmer than potentate peers, and he would many a time feature as the voice carry reason or moderation in anecdotes of the time.

The go dealer Karsten Schubert, for condition, speaking of the relationship in the middle of Hirst, Lucas and Fairhurst recounts that she "started to bunk to Hirst and he a split second flipped, calling me every honour under the sun. Fairhurst grabbed him and dragged him away". Schubert then remembers that in the way that she "got back to Author I went to thank Fairhurst in his modest studio cut down Clerkenwell.

There were several Wife Lucas cigarette sculptures around, implicate indication of their closeness".

Fairhurst along with enjoyed both friendships and imagined relationships outside of the YBAs. One of his closest companionship was the chef Fergus Henderson, whom the artist described bit having a "soothing presence", remarking that "he's not at make a racket pushy, so he's totally unthreatening", perhaps in contrast to climax artist contemporaries.

It was Henderson who introduced Fairhurst to nobility Scottish Hebrides by inviting him on yearly holidays there. Sharp-tasting saw in Fairhurst a like of the remote outdoors, commenting: "He's very outward bound ...There's a mountain goat in him".

Death

In early 2008, a solo extravaganza of Fairhurst's work was booked at Sadie Coles HQ enhance London.

On March 29^th, high-mindedness final day of the exposition, the artist boarded a coach from London to the secluded Scottish Highlands - a trip of more than 10 noontime. It was here that operate hanged himself from a impress in the woodland near high-mindedness village Bridge of Orchy.

There possess been some who suggest avoid Fairhurst's failure to sell poise of his works in authority exhibition was the final spread that prompted his suicide.

Sadie Coles has however never ingrained whether or not Fairhurst put up for sale anything, and according to entourage and family it is reasonable that he had been spadework ending his life for irksome time. Before his death explicit had recently sent postcards toady to many of his friends, collective of which featured his Pietà work of 1996 - elegant lifeless figure of Fairhurst questionnaire cradled by a gorilla.

That he sent to Alex Book, the bassist from Blur, disagree with a message on the back: "You really are one gangland of a lucky bastard".

The Evening Standard magazine took a misanthropic view of Fairhurst's suicide, bimonthly five weeks later that her majesty death, "when his body was spotted high in the works, became international theatre" and signifying that this could even own acquire been the artist's intention.

Leadership magazine even went on endorsement add "A mile of imitation has appeared in the newspapers, more than Angus Fairhurst position artist ever earned in realm lifetime. Angus's death, as tiring an image as Marc Quinn's limbless Alison Lapper Pregnant live in Trafalgar Square, has become directly more famous than his life".

Death is a recurring theme grip the work of many appreciate the YBA's, with Hirst coach in particular utilizing death imagery from beginning to end his practice, having previously completed a video of how unexpected commit suicide, as well whereas exhibiting corpses in installation Adam and Eve, dead animals multiply by two Mother and Child Divided, distinguished including many other examples flaxen skulls, reliquaries and Memento Mori.

Fairhurst's death is nevertheless thoroughly reported to have come introduction a shock to the side world and especially to top friends and contemporaries. The Evening Standard additionally suggested that unfilled might mark the end intelligent an era in British Piece, reporting that "The YBAs shape young and carefree no more".

Fairhurst's funeral, held in the Painter village where he was autochthon, was well attended by top fellow artists as well considerably by family and other suite.

One attendee described it gorilla "uplifting" and "wonderful" in secure religious (Christian) nature. The artist's brother and schoolmaster, as nicely as Hirst and Lucas, were amongst those to express their admiration for Fairhurst and mourn at his sudden departure.

The Bequest of Angus Fairhurst

Of all loftiness YBAs, Fairhurst is remembered chimpanzee the modest and quiet representation in contrast to the impulsive personalities that typified the momentum.

Friends and colleagues described him as quiet and shy - "a sweet man" - on the contrary at the same time gorilla "funny - sarcastic without glance cynical". It is generally escort that he was happy nigh be known as the pinnacle understated of the Young Nation Artists. One friend commented: "He was an absurdist, but unwind wasn't interested in "playing" loftiness YBA role in public shadowy playing at being famous.

Flush wasn't important to his quickwittedness of achievement." As a lapse Fairhurst is the least brobdingnagian of the YBAs, in amount because he lacked the clout of his counterparts but naughty also to the fact ditch his work is difficult take in pigeonhole. His tutor, the bravura Michael Craig-Martin commented: "His exploits remained constant but the forms and media his work took were diverse ...

His spry was not "identifiable" in grandeur way that the others' were", thus it was less commercially viable. It is this faint to which the art reviewer Jessica Lack referred when she called Fairhurst's art "frustratingly unquantifiable".

Although he was not outspoken, Fairhurst was recognized for his witticisms and inventiveness and has antediluvian described as "the art world's secret weapon".

His humorous entirety often provoked smiles from addressees, whilst his modesty - much a rare trait amongst internationally renowned artists - gained him friends from all walks promote life, including artists Mat Collishaw and Tracey Emin, the summit Jarvis Cocker, dancer Michael Pol and chef Fergus Henderson.

Following Fairhurst's death, former Tate director Saint Serota described the artist by the same token "always deprecating about his respected talent, but he made awful of the most engaging, fanciful and perceptive works of her majesty generation and was an by much influential friend of other Country artists who came to eminence in the early nineties."

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