Chris Gilmour
Encyclopedia
Chris Gilmour is an English artist specialising in the creation of life-sized sculptures made of recycled cardboard and glue, using both plain packaging cardboard and recycled packaging material. His works replicate in painstaking detail many objects and machines out of our ordinary lives, ranging from objects from daily life, such as bicycles, motorbikes, cars, cafetieres, chairs, etc. to small models of religious architecture, in an ironic "desecration” by the graphics of the packaging, by juxtaposing these religious symbols and the "profane" icons of modern consumer life and culture, such as condoms, toothpaste, etc.
in Great Britain, he moved to Udine, Italy in 1997, where he is currently based. He has undertaken numerous group and solo shows around Europe and in America.
, the Lambretta and, more recently, James Bond's iconic Aston Martin).
Gilmour's choice of objects has always been based on their calling up memories and emotions connected to our experience of these (everyday) things. Since this is both a visual and conceptual work, Gilmour chooses objects for their visual appeal and cultural resonance, but he also usually chooses objects which imply an action or interaction of some sort. The interaction of the viewer with the works seems to function as a kind of short circuit between an implied action and the impossibility of performing it: one immediately wants to open the car door, or turn the wheel on the bike, but of course one can’t. This immediacy is important to enter Gilmour's work, to grab the viewer.
His earlier works were made with very clean cardboard aiming at a hyper-realistic effect which showed the material “at its best”, or rather seemed to do something impossible with it, making a perfect representation- indeed, many people assumed that the works were real objects that had been painted or covered in paper. More recent works are made from cardboard boxes which are still found on the street, but which show all the printing, tape, labels etc. This is in an attempt at concentrating on the material in its “natural state” and playing with the idea of these beautiful objects represented with a material from the waste basket, giving another dimension to the work by using scrap cardboard packaging which has been thrown away after the coveted objects it contained have been removed.
Gilmour's use of pre-existing materials, giving them a “new life” creates a connection between art and “recycling”, by re-appropriating or taking control of the things around us, which if you live in a city are pretty much all man-made. The use of re-cycled or found materials is brought about by our proximity to these things and their familiarity. One of the reasons for Gilmour's use cardboard is because it’s so easy to find- we have an immediate access to these recycled materials in a way that could never be possible with bronze or marble. It is also free of the historical and cultural weight of those classical sculptural materials, and can offer new readings of the work. By using a material which everybody knows and understands, Gilmour builds on the pre-existing associations to develop ideas and ways of reading the work. It’s a way of creating a language which is understood by many.
A key piece in Gilmour's work is the wheelchair, as this marks the change from earlier works with human figures to the current work without. In his previous works figures were used to tell a story about the object portrayed, whereby the interaction between the object and the viewer was a powerful element- the viewer brought his or her own story to the object, and didn't need a kind of theatrical set to explain the situation. People often had a very immediate reaction to Chris's earlier works- they tried to open the car door, or type on the typewriter, in a game of contrasts-real/not-real, functional/non-functional, heavy/light. The sensation that caused was to allow the viewer to project him/herself into the work. However, the reaction to the wheelchair was different- it was a slightly disquieting object and no one wanted to touch it.
Gilmour's art was influenced by the works of other sculptors who seem to share his interest in materials and give the impression that their ideas come from playing about with things. For example, artists Gilmour admires for their approach to materials are Anish Kapoor, Andy Goldsworthy, Tom Friedman, and Bill Woodrow.
– Premio Cairo, Palazzo della Permanente, Milan
– Defrag, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan (curated by Ivan Quaroni & Norma Mangione)
– Beauty so difficult, Fondazione Stelline, Milan (curated by Michele Robecchi)
– Meravee, Villa di Ariis, Udine, (curated by Sabrina Zannier)
–Quotidiana, Comune di Padova, (curated by G. Bartorelli e S. Schiavon)
– Zoo, Heaton Hall, (Manchester City Galleries), Manchester, UK. (curated by Virginia Tandy)
Personal life
Born in StockportStockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
in Great Britain, he moved to Udine, Italy in 1997, where he is currently based. He has undertaken numerous group and solo shows around Europe and in America.
Artistic style
Through his career and artistic development, there has been a progression in the choice of objects portrayed by Gilmour, which go from smaller domestic items (like the moka or the typewriter) to objects which are larger and belong to a broader cultural context (the Fiat 500Fiat 500
The Fiat 500 is a car produced by the Fiat company of Italy between 1957 and 1975, with limited production of the Fiat 500 K estate continuing until 1977. The car was designed by Dante Giacosa....
, the Lambretta and, more recently, James Bond's iconic Aston Martin).
Gilmour's choice of objects has always been based on their calling up memories and emotions connected to our experience of these (everyday) things. Since this is both a visual and conceptual work, Gilmour chooses objects for their visual appeal and cultural resonance, but he also usually chooses objects which imply an action or interaction of some sort. The interaction of the viewer with the works seems to function as a kind of short circuit between an implied action and the impossibility of performing it: one immediately wants to open the car door, or turn the wheel on the bike, but of course one can’t. This immediacy is important to enter Gilmour's work, to grab the viewer.
His earlier works were made with very clean cardboard aiming at a hyper-realistic effect which showed the material “at its best”, or rather seemed to do something impossible with it, making a perfect representation- indeed, many people assumed that the works were real objects that had been painted or covered in paper. More recent works are made from cardboard boxes which are still found on the street, but which show all the printing, tape, labels etc. This is in an attempt at concentrating on the material in its “natural state” and playing with the idea of these beautiful objects represented with a material from the waste basket, giving another dimension to the work by using scrap cardboard packaging which has been thrown away after the coveted objects it contained have been removed.
Gilmour's use of pre-existing materials, giving them a “new life” creates a connection between art and “recycling”, by re-appropriating or taking control of the things around us, which if you live in a city are pretty much all man-made. The use of re-cycled or found materials is brought about by our proximity to these things and their familiarity. One of the reasons for Gilmour's use cardboard is because it’s so easy to find- we have an immediate access to these recycled materials in a way that could never be possible with bronze or marble. It is also free of the historical and cultural weight of those classical sculptural materials, and can offer new readings of the work. By using a material which everybody knows and understands, Gilmour builds on the pre-existing associations to develop ideas and ways of reading the work. It’s a way of creating a language which is understood by many.
A key piece in Gilmour's work is the wheelchair, as this marks the change from earlier works with human figures to the current work without. In his previous works figures were used to tell a story about the object portrayed, whereby the interaction between the object and the viewer was a powerful element- the viewer brought his or her own story to the object, and didn't need a kind of theatrical set to explain the situation. People often had a very immediate reaction to Chris's earlier works- they tried to open the car door, or type on the typewriter, in a game of contrasts-real/not-real, functional/non-functional, heavy/light. The sensation that caused was to allow the viewer to project him/herself into the work. However, the reaction to the wheelchair was different- it was a slightly disquieting object and no one wanted to touch it.
Gilmour's art was influenced by the works of other sculptors who seem to share his interest in materials and give the impression that their ideas come from playing about with things. For example, artists Gilmour admires for their approach to materials are Anish Kapoor, Andy Goldsworthy, Tom Friedman, and Bill Woodrow.
Works
The first big piece ever made by Gilmour was a cardboard cow, “to sell to farmers in order to replace the cattle destroyed by BSE, so that the fields don’t look empty”.Solo shows
- 2008
- All things solid, Freight and Volume, New York
- 2007
- Disposable, Perugi Artecontemporanea, Padova (curated by Guido Bartorelli)
- 2006
- Pussy Galore, Freight and Volume, New York
- 2004
- Boxes, Perugi Artecontemporanea, Padova (curated by Guido Bartorelli)
- 2001
- Objects, Perugi Artecontemporanea, Padova (curated by Sabrina Zannier)
Group shows
- 2006
– Premio Cairo, Palazzo della Permanente, Milan
- 2005
– Defrag, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan (curated by Ivan Quaroni & Norma Mangione)
– Beauty so difficult, Fondazione Stelline, Milan (curated by Michele Robecchi)
- 2003
– Meravee, Villa di Ariis, Udine, (curated by Sabrina Zannier)
- 2001
- Storie contemporanee, Museo Archeologico, Bergamo, (curated by Paola Tognon)
- Orange Juice, Casa delle letterature - Spazio Futuro, Roma, (curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino)
- Popheart & generazione mtv, Light Gallery, Faenza, (curated by Guido Bartorelli)
- Such a Joy, Galleria Comunale Arte Contemporanea, Castel San Pietro, Bologna, (curated by M.Altavilla, G.Bartorelli, D.Lotta )
- Sculpture, Perugiartecontemporanea, Padova, (curated by G.Bartorelli )
- Lovers, Mutandis, Bologna, (curated by D.Lotta e E. Bordignon )
- 2000
–Quotidiana, Comune di Padova, (curated by G. Bartorelli e S. Schiavon)
- 1998
– Zoo, Heaton Hall, (Manchester City Galleries), Manchester, UK. (curated by Virginia Tandy)
External links
- Official website
- Chris Gilmour's Works in the Dikeou Collection
- Recycled Cardboard Sculpture by Chris Gilmour
- Cardboard Realism - Chris Gilmour Sculptures
- Cardboard Art! Chris Gilmour Turns Trash Into Treasure
- Chris Gilmour's Cardboard Sculpture
- Repurposed Art: The Second Life of Cardboard
- Chris Gilmour's Cardboard Art
- Cardboard cut-outs: How one man turns rubbish into art
- All Things Solid