Mike Nelson (artist)
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mike" Nelson is a contemporary British
installation art
ist. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale
in 2011. Nelson has twice been nominated for the Turner Prize
: first in 2001 (that year the prize was won by Martin Creed
), and again in 2007 (when the winner was Mark Wallinger
).
was in the 2001 Venice Biennale
. In September 2007, his exhibition A Psychic Vacuum was held in the old Essex Street Market, New York. Essays on Nelson's projects, '24A Orwell Street King's Cross Sydney' and 'The Deliverance and the Patience' have been written by artist/curator Richard Grayson
.
His major installation The Coral Reef, 2000, is on display at Tate Britain
until the end of 2011. It consists of fifteen rooms and a warren of corridors. This work and its showing at Matt's Gallery
earned him his 2001 Turner Prize
nomination.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
installation art
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
ist. He represented Britain at the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 2011. Nelson has twice been nominated for the Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
: first in 2001 (that year the prize was won by Martin Creed
Martin Creed
Martin Creed is an artist and musician. He won the Turner Prize in 2001 for Work No. 227: the lights going on and off, which was an empty room in which the lights went on and off.-Life and work :...
), and again in 2007 (when the winner was Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger
Mark Wallinger is a British artist, best known for his sculpture for the empty fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, Ecce Homo , and State Britain , a recreation at Tate Britain of Brian Haw's protest display outside parliament. He won the Turner Prize in 2007...
).
Working practice
Nelson's installations typically exist only for the time period of the exhibition which they were made for. They are generally extended labyrinths, which the viewer is free to find their own way through, and in which the locations of the exit and entrance are often difficult to determine. His "The Deliverance and the Patience" in a former brewery on the GiudeccaGiudecca
Giudecca is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It is part of the sestiere of Dorsoduro. It is a locality of the comune of Venice.-Geography:...
was in the 2001 Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
. In September 2007, his exhibition A Psychic Vacuum was held in the old Essex Street Market, New York. Essays on Nelson's projects, '24A Orwell Street King's Cross Sydney' and 'The Deliverance and the Patience' have been written by artist/curator Richard Grayson
Richard Grayson
Richard Grayson is a writer, political activist and performance artist, most noted for his books of short stories and his satiric runs for public office....
.
His major installation The Coral Reef, 2000, is on display at Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Tate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
until the end of 2011. It consists of fifteen rooms and a warren of corridors. This work and its showing at Matt's Gallery
Matt's Gallery
Matt's Gallery is a contemporary art space situated on Copperfield Road in Bow, east London. Director, Robin Klassnik, opened the gallery in his studio in 1979 on Martello Street, before moving premises to Bow in 1993. The gallery is named after Klassnik’s dog, Matt E...
earned him his 2001 Turner Prize
Turner Prize
The Turner Prize, named after the painter J. M. W. Turner, is an annual prize presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. Awarding the prize is organised by the Tate gallery and staged at Tate Britain. Since its beginnings in 1984 it has become the United Kingdom's most publicised...
nomination.
External links
- Information about Mike Nelson at 330 Gallery
- Matt's Gallery: Mike Nelson
- Turner Prize shortlist 2001
- Creative Time: Mike Nelson
- Frieze Art Fair: Mike Nelson commission (2006)
- Mike Nelson's A Psychic Vacuum in New York City, September 2007
- frieze review of A Psychic Vacuum
- Telegraph review (2006)
- frieze review of Modern Art Oxford show (2004)
- Guardian review (2004)
- Guardian interview (2007)
- Display page on Tate Britain's website
- TateShots at the Venice Biennale 2011: Mike Nelson in The British Pavilion The artist on his work at the Venice Biennale 2011. 7 June 2011