Author(s): Martin Herbert

Art

A comprehensive study of Mark Wallinger's career that draws on extensive conversations with the artist, this book traces his development from early influences to winning the Turner Prize in 2007 and beyond. Over the past quarter-century Wallinger has become known as an artist who never repeats himself, and his art driven by passions including sport, history, politics, science and poetry has ranged from meticulous paintings of racehorses to a presentation of the first public statue of Jesus Christ in England since the Reformation, and from a performance while dressed in a bear suit to installing a full-scale copy of peace protestor Brian Haw's antiwar display at Parliament Square in Tate Britain. As this book demonstrates, however, certain themes and strategies thread through this dizzyingly diverse body of work. Here, Wallinger is revealed as an artist committed to making art that is not only brilliantly accessible and witty, but also conscientious and politically incisive.