Cartrain
Encyclopedia
Cartrain often stylised cartяain, is a British artist associated with the graffiti
urban art
movement. YBA artist Damien Hirst
has threatened to take legal steps against Cartain over his art and activities.
Cartrain said the choice of pseudonym was "random".
From Leytonstone
, East London, he started doing graffiti art at the age of 12, and initially worked in his local area, but "because no one pays any attention" had moved on by the age of 15 to the back streets near Old Street
and Brick Lane
in Hackney
, and also to central London, even spraying on walls opposite the Houses of Parliament.
His work is left-wing in content and often features notable mainstream figures such as George Bush and the Queen.
In April 2008 Boris Johnson
invited him to display his work at City hall
contacted the Design and Artists Copyright Society
(DACS) demanding action be taken over works containing images of his skull sculpture For the Love of God
made by then-16 year old Cartrain, and sold on the internet gallery 100artworks.com. On the advice of his gallery, Cartrain handed over the artworks to DACS and forfeited the £200 he had made; he said, "I met Christian Zimmermann [from DACS] who told me Hirst personally ordered action on the matter."
A spokeswoman for Hirst said: 'Damien is not suing Cartrain. This is a straightforward issue of copyright.
'Damien owns the copyright to the diamond skull and its image and if it is reproduced without his permission DACS are instructed to deal with this on his behalf.'
James Cauty has supported Cartrain, claiming he has a right to use existing images to make a new artwork.
Copyright lawyer Paul Tackaberry compared the two images and said, "This is fairly non-contentious legally. Ask yourself, what portion of the original--and not just the quantity but also the quality--appears in the new work? If a 'substantial portion' of the 'original' appears in the new work, then that's all you need for copyright infringement... Quantitatively about 80% of the skull is in the second image."
In July 2009, Cartrain walked into Tate Britain
and removed a packet of Faber Castell 1990 Mongol 482 series pencils from Damien Hirst's installation, Pharmacy. Cartrain then made a fake police "Wanted" poster, which was distributed around London, stating that the pencils had been stolen and that if anyone had any information they should call the police on the phone number advertised. Cartrain made this statement:
Cartrain was subsequently arrested for £500,000 worth of theft, and is facing charges for what would be the biggest art theft
in British history. Cartrain now uses the pilfered pencils to sign his print edition artwork.
In December 2009 The Metropolitan police dropped all charges against Cartrain. The Independent
wrote:
Jonathan Jones
, art critic of The Guardian
has spoken out on Cartrain's behalf.
joint inside the Palace of Westminster
. Whilst Nick Clegg
was answering PM's questions he proceeded to light up and shout "Decriminalise Cannabis" in the House Of Commons and then passed the joint around each other. They were later cautioned and released without charge.
Cartrain in a statement told the Evening Standard
'They said they would put me in a cell under Big Ben, which I said sounds amazing, like the most expensive hotel in London, but then they decided to let me go when they realised I was quite keen to be arrested.'
, showing himself putting up a piece of cardboard box as a conceptual art
work in Tate Modern
; he states, "i mannaged [sic] to put my cardboard box up in the tate modern for two hours without being spotted as a fake." Another video shows him installing a collage incorporating Hirst's skull image, and titled "Damien Hirst", in the National Portrait Gallery.
upheld Hirst's position, stating that new work has to be identical to a previous work to be considered copyright infringement.
Images of Cartrain's work
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
urban art
Urban art
Urban art is a style of art that relates to cities and city life often done by artists who live in or have a passion for city life...
movement. YBA artist Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
has threatened to take legal steps against Cartain over his art and activities.
Early life
From Leytonstone
Leytonstone
Leytonstone is an area of east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is a high density suburban area, located seven miles north east of Charing Cross in the ceremonial county of Greater London and the historic county of Essex...
, East London, he started doing graffiti art at the age of 12, and initially worked in his local area, but "because no one pays any attention" had moved on by the age of 15 to the back streets near Old Street
Old Street
Old Street is a street in east London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, to the crossroads where it intersects with Shoreditch High Street , Kingsland Road and Hackney Road in Shoreditch in the London Borough of Hackney.The nearest...
and Brick Lane
Brick Lane
Brick Lane is a street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It runs from Swanfield Street in the northern part of Bethnal Green, crosses Bethnal Green Road, passes through Spitalfields and is linked to Whitechapel High Street to the south by the short stretch of...
in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, and also to central London, even spraying on walls opposite the Houses of Parliament.
His work is left-wing in content and often features notable mainstream figures such as George Bush and the Queen.
In April 2008 Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
invited him to display his work at City hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
Interaction with Hirst
In December 2008, Damien HirstDamien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
contacted the Design and Artists Copyright Society
Design and Artists Copyright Society
The Design and Artists Copyright Society is a UK not-for-profit rights management organisation that exists to collect and distribute royalties to visual artists....
(DACS) demanding action be taken over works containing images of his skull sculpture For the Love of God
For the Love of God
For the Love of God is a sculpture by artist Damien Hirst produced in 2007. It consists of a platinum cast of a human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead...
made by then-16 year old Cartrain, and sold on the internet gallery 100artworks.com. On the advice of his gallery, Cartrain handed over the artworks to DACS and forfeited the £200 he had made; he said, "I met Christian Zimmermann [from DACS] who told me Hirst personally ordered action on the matter."
A spokeswoman for Hirst said: 'Damien is not suing Cartrain. This is a straightforward issue of copyright.
'Damien owns the copyright to the diamond skull and its image and if it is reproduced without his permission DACS are instructed to deal with this on his behalf.'
James Cauty has supported Cartrain, claiming he has a right to use existing images to make a new artwork.
Copyright lawyer Paul Tackaberry compared the two images and said, "This is fairly non-contentious legally. Ask yourself, what portion of the original--and not just the quantity but also the quality--appears in the new work? If a 'substantial portion' of the 'original' appears in the new work, then that's all you need for copyright infringement... Quantitatively about 80% of the skull is in the second image."
In July 2009, Cartrain walked into 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...
and removed a packet of Faber Castell 1990 Mongol 482 series pencils from Damien Hirst's installation, Pharmacy. Cartrain then made a fake police "Wanted" poster, which was distributed around London, stating that the pencils had been stolen and that if anyone had any information they should call the police on the phone number advertised. Cartrain made this statement:
- For the safe return of Damien Hirsts pencils I would like my artworks back that Dacs and Hirst took off me in November. Its not a large demand he can have his pencils back when I get my artwork back. Dacs are now not taking any notice of my emails and I have asked nicely more than five times to try and resolve this matter. Hirst has until the end of this month to resolve this or on 31st of July the pencils will be sharpened. He has been warned.
Cartrain was subsequently arrested for £500,000 worth of theft, and is facing charges for what would be the biggest art theft
Art theft
Art theft is usually for the purpose of resale or for ransom . Stolen art is sometimes used by criminals to secure loans.. One must realize that only a small percentage of stolen art is recovered. Estimates range from 5 to 10%. This means that little is known about the scope and characteristics of...
in British history. Cartrain now uses the pilfered pencils to sign his print edition artwork.
In December 2009 The Metropolitan police dropped all charges against Cartrain. The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
wrote:
- Cartrain told me that, happily, all police charges have since been dropped and that he's even had a meeting with the Tate to discuss the issue.What's more, he came face to face with Hirst himself at the latter's current show at London's White Cube gallery.
Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones (journalist)
Jonathan Jones is an English journalist and art critic who has been writing for The Guardian since 1999.He was on the jury for the 2009 Turner Prize.-External links:*...
, art critic of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
has spoken out on Cartrain's behalf.
Cannabis Activism
On November 10, 2010, Cartrain and fellow street artist Vagabond managed to smuggle a CannabisCannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
joint inside the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. Whilst Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
was answering PM's questions he proceeded to light up and shout "Decriminalise Cannabis" in the House Of Commons and then passed the joint around each other. They were later cautioned and released without charge.
Cartrain in a statement told the Evening Standard
'They said they would put me in a cell under Big Ben, which I said sounds amazing, like the most expensive hotel in London, but then they decided to let me go when they realised I was quite keen to be arrested.'
Other activities
Cartrain has posted a video on YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, showing himself putting up a piece of cardboard box as a conceptual art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
work in Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
; he states, "i mannaged [sic] to put my cardboard box up in the tate modern for two hours without being spotted as a fake." Another video shows him installing a collage incorporating Hirst's skull image, and titled "Damien Hirst", in the National Portrait Gallery.
Damien Hirst and copyright
Some of Hirst's works have been claimed by various people to be either plagiarised or copyright infringement of their own work. In a case brought against, the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
upheld Hirst's position, stating that new work has to be identical to a previous work to be considered copyright infringement.
See also
- BanksyBanksyBanksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
- Urban cultureUrban cultureUrban culture is the culture of towns and cities. In the United States, Urban culture may also sometimes be used as a euphemistic reference to contemporary African American culture.- African American culture :...
- Art graffiti
- Street ArtStreet artStreet art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
- John LeKay
External links
Images of Cartrain's work
