Flowers in a Glass (after Rachel Ruysch)

Location

Country: Turkey
City: Ankara
Place: British Embassy

In 2017 Gavin Turk chose one of the most iconic symbols of the Netherlands to focus on for an exhibition at the Museum van Loon, following a visit to his friend the artist Philippa van Loon. Originating in central Asia, tulips were admired in Islamic gardens in Persia (Iran), blooming across the ancient Silk Route and in Anatolia. They are viewed as a symbol of exploration, trade and migration. In the 16th century the Netherlands had a great trade history with the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) and it was the Van Loon family who were heavily involved in this trade route. Taking this story as a source of inspiration for his exhibition, Turk chose  24 contemporary artists to contribute to the exhibition — each focusing on depictions of tulips. Nineteen of the artists created prints showing tulips in different iterations, from hyperrealistic portraits to ‘exploded flowers’, from frozen blocks of flowers to tulip emojis.

Having grown up in both Hong Kong and England, Gordon Cheung studied painting at Central St Martins College and the Royal College of Art. He has exhibited extensively and in 2005 was part of British Art Show 6 at the Baltic, Gateshead and the John Moores Painting Prize in 2006. He was awarded the Arts Council of England Individual Arts Award in 2005 and won the Jerwood Contemporary Painters Prize in 2008. Recent solo exhibitions include 'New Order Vanitas', Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, West Palm Beach, Florida (2017); 'Unknown Knowns', Edel Assanti, London, (2017); 'Here Be Dragons', Nottingham Castle Museum, Nottingham (2016); and 'Lines in the Sand', Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai (2016). Cheung’s work is held in many private and public collections including the Yale Center for British Art, Connecticut; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C.; Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; and the British Museum, London. He lives and works in London.

Places

Subjects

Materials & Techniques

digital print, inkjet print

Artist

Gordon Cheung (1975 - )

Title

Flowers in a Glass (after Rachel Ruysch)

Portfolio Title

Turkish Tulips

Edition

7/25

Date

2017

Medium

Archival inkjet print

Dimensions

height: 37.5 cm, width: 29.7 cm

Acquisition

Purchased from The House of Fairy Tales, January 2018

Inscription

verso, bl: 7/25 ; br: Gordon Cheung 2017

Provenance

The House of Fairy Tales; purchased by the GAC 2018

GAC number

18749/4