Once physically removed from public view, it is intriguing to think about an artwork’s new life when sold and removed from the public exhibition space. From conception to production and public presentation, an art object is usually well documented. But what happens to the art object when it is removed from the public space? Does it acquire a new function and meaning?
One of the most interesting artists in the Axis directory is Hayley Lock, whose work was selected for Future50. She employs elements of collage, drawing, painting and sculpture in these small scale works, creating objects that function as both icons and grotesques, complete with a good sprinkling of frivolity and humour. In Dutchie, materials such as glitter and sequins have been used whilst visually referencing the Dutch portrait genre. Lock tells me her ‘work and its titles are multilayered’ and that her titling is deliberately ambiguous:
Hayley Lock Dutchie, 2008
‘The starting point is to create portraits, but I only slowly reveal the other layers over a longer lapse of time. The narrative through the portrait is only one starting point. Each character starts to evolve, through the imagery, layers of his, hers or their personalities and lifestyles.’
Dutchie now hangs comfortably on the wall of a consultant’s coaching room, in a position inspired by the subject of the work itself. When asked about the importance she attaches to how her works are displayed after purchase, Lock explains:
‘The display of my work, whether private or public, is in the fate of the work alone and not me. I am a great believer in fate. However, because my work is so extremely personal to me in the making, I am interested in where the work will be displayed when bought. I am curious as to where it goes once it has left my possession.’
Dutchie’s buyer, Richard Watts, wanted ‘the piece to be displayed in a private space to that ‘she’ (the work) could pick up snippets of conversation’. He was inspired by something the artist said to him at the Future50 exhibition preview about her love of listening in to other people’s conversations:
‘I adore words and phraseology and so when I overhear a conversation that is rich in dialect and class structure, I like to run with my imagination and twist and turn words around that moment’.
Hayley Lock, Dutchie in Richard Watt's office
Dutchie’s new location is a cosy spot between two chairs in Richard’s coaching room, positioned right at the centre of conversation. In fact, the two chairs are arranged around Dutchie in order to focus attention on the work. Richard often tells his clients the story of the piece, allowing people to enjoy its meaning and associations as well as its visual impact. It is as if the ‘Dutchie’ of the title is observing and listening in to Richard’s conversations.
By simply transferring the artwork from public display to a private setting, the buyer transforms its function. From being the object of public scrutiny in Future50, Hayley Lock’s Dutchie has taken on a whole new life as an audience for other people’s conversations. You could say the tables have been turned.
Notes:
Hayley Lock on Future50
Hayley Lock on Axis
Further information about Georgina Gates
