At home I have a poster which says 'Art doesn't have to match the couch', to which I would add 'Art doesn't have to hang on the wall'.
As far back as 1917, Duchamp, with his ready mades (fig 1) began the move away from the wall, and, with this came the blurring of the line between 'life' and 'art'. This appropriation of the utilitarian and the commercial, for artistic purposes, is evident in the artist's shop. Probably the most famous of these is 'The Shop' (fig 2) opened by Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas in 1993. Other examples of this fine art genre include Lucy Sparrow's 'Knitted Corner Shop' 2014 (fig 3) and Rosalie Schweiker's 2013
'Sex Shop' (fig 4)
My own contribution to this genre 'The Feminist Pound Shop' (fig 5) is a natural extention of 'The Penis Emporium' (fig 6) which referenced shopping, but functioned only as an exhibit. As with other artist's shops, 'The Feminist Pound Shop' requires the viewer to complete the meaning of the work. This is a democratising feature of these interactive works, which move away from the convention of artist as creative genius, by placing viewer and artist on the same plain. 'The Feminist Pound Shop' was conceived to challenge commercialism by offering 'feminist tat', thus 'making feminism affordable for all'.
As far back as 1917, Duchamp, with his ready mades (fig 1) began the move away from the wall, and, with this came the blurring of the line between 'life' and 'art'. This appropriation of the utilitarian and the commercial, for artistic purposes, is evident in the artist's shop. Probably the most famous of these is 'The Shop' (fig 2) opened by Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas in 1993. Other examples of this fine art genre include Lucy Sparrow's 'Knitted Corner Shop' 2014 (fig 3) and Rosalie Schweiker's 2013
'Sex Shop' (fig 4)
My own contribution to this genre 'The Feminist Pound Shop' (fig 5) is a natural extention of 'The Penis Emporium' (fig 6) which referenced shopping, but functioned only as an exhibit. As with other artist's shops, 'The Feminist Pound Shop' requires the viewer to complete the meaning of the work. This is a democratising feature of these interactive works, which move away from the convention of artist as creative genius, by placing viewer and artist on the same plain. 'The Feminist Pound Shop' was conceived to challenge commercialism by offering 'feminist tat', thus 'making feminism affordable for all'.
Fig 1. Fountain, Marcel Duchamp, 1917, replica 1964
Fig 2. The Shop, Lucas/Emin 1993
Fig 3. Knitted Corner Shop, Lucy Sparrow, 2014
Fig 4. Sex Shop, Rosalie Schweiker, 2013
Fig 5. Feminist Pound Shop, Jane Hellings, 2016
Fig 6. Penis Emporium, Jane Hellings, 2014
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