Art is Life (Saving)

Shortlisted for the Independent Podcast Awards 2023. Subscribe to receive exclusive weekly content at www.thegallerycompanion.com

I’ve often heard artists talk about how making art for them is not optional, it’s essential. Life-saving, even. In this week's episode I discuss the meaning of the phrase ‘art is life’ by thinking about the work of one of Britain’s leading conceptual artists, Martin Creed.

He has said that for him there is no separating line between what he creates and anything else he does in his day. Other people might call what he does ‘art’ but he’s not sure what ‘art’ actually is. He does what he does to try and grasp on to something solid to help him get through life. Art is something you can rely on, he says. It’s a relief. I know what he means, and it has given me another perspective on his work.

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The Gallery Companion is hosted by writer and historian Dr Victoria Powell. It's a thought-provoking dive into the interesting questions and messy stuff about our lives that art explores and represents.

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