Lali Chetwynd
Encyclopedia
Lali "Spartacus" Chetwynd (born 1973) is a British
artist. She reworks iconic moments from cultural history in deliberately amateurish and improvisatory performances.
before training as a painter at the Royal College of Art
. She adopted the name Spartacus Chetwynd in 2006. Her mother is Luciana Arrighi
, an Oscar-winning production designer.
in 2004, she was shortlisted for the Beck's Futures
prize in 2005. Her contribution to the 2006 Tate Triennial was The Fall of Man, a puppet-play based on The Book of Genesis, Paradise Lost
and The German Ideology
. In 2009 her work Hermitos Children was included in "Altermodern
", the fourth Tate Triennial. The filmed performance was summarised by Adrian Searle
as, "The young woman who rode to her own death on the dildo see-saw at the Sugar-Tits Doom Club," and described by Richard Dorment as, "Silly beyond words and teetered at times on the edge of porn – but once you start looking at it I defy you to tear yourself away." Although characterized as a reworking of iconic moments from cultural history, Chetwynd's work has risked being seen as plagiarism, and in the case of a cat bus prominently featured in her performance work at the 2010 Frieze Art Fair,copyright infringement.The cat bus character appears in Hayao Miyazaki
's "My Neighbor Totoro
" copyright 1988 by Nibariki-G.distributed by Disneydreaming.
Her works are held in the Saatchi Gallery
, migros museum für gegenwartskunst, Zürich, the Tate
and the British Council
collection.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
artist. She reworks iconic moments from cultural history in deliberately amateurish and improvisatory performances.
Life
She studied anthropology at UCLUniversity College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
before training as a painter at the Royal College of Art
Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art is an art school located in London, United Kingdom. It is the world’s only wholly postgraduate university of art and design, offering the degrees of Master of Arts , Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philosophy...
. She adopted the name Spartacus Chetwynd in 2006. Her mother is Luciana Arrighi
Luciana Arrighi
Luciana Arrighi is an Italian production designer. She won an Academy Award for the film Howards End in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:...
, an Oscar-winning production designer.
Work
Participating in New ContemporariesNew Contemporaries
New Contemporaries is an organisation that works to support emerging artists at the beginning of their careers by introducing them to the visual arts sector and to the public through a variety of platforms, including an annual exhibition...
in 2004, she was shortlisted for the Beck's Futures
Beck's Futures
Beck's Futures was a British art prize founded by London's Institute of Contemporary Arts and sponsored by Beck's beer given to contemporary artists....
prize in 2005. Her contribution to the 2006 Tate Triennial was The Fall of Man, a puppet-play based on The Book of Genesis, Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost
Paradise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
and The German Ideology
The German Ideology
The German Ideology is a book written by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels around April or early May 1846. Marx and Engels did not find a publisher. However, the work was later retrieved and published for the first time in 1932 by David Riazanov through the Marx-Engels Institute in Moscow...
. In 2009 her work Hermitos Children was included in "Altermodern
Altermodern
Altermodern, a portmanteau word defined by Nicolas Bourriaud, is an attempt at contextualizing art made in today's global context as a reaction against standardisation and commercialism...
", the fourth Tate Triennial. The filmed performance was summarised by Adrian Searle
Adrian Searle
Adrian Searle is the chief art critic of The Guardian newspaper in Britain, and has been writing for the paper since 1996. Previously he was a painter. He curates art shows and also writes fiction.-Career:...
as, "The young woman who rode to her own death on the dildo see-saw at the Sugar-Tits Doom Club," and described by Richard Dorment as, "Silly beyond words and teetered at times on the edge of porn – but once you start looking at it I defy you to tear yourself away." Although characterized as a reworking of iconic moments from cultural history, Chetwynd's work has risked being seen as plagiarism, and in the case of a cat bus prominently featured in her performance work at the 2010 Frieze Art Fair,copyright infringement.The cat bus character appears in Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
's "My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro
, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan...
" copyright 1988 by Nibariki-G.distributed by Disneydreaming.
Her works are held in the Saatchi Gallery
Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art, opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 in order to exhibit his collection to the public. It has occupied different premises, first in North London, then the South Bank by the River Thames and currently in Chelsea. Saatchi's collection, and...
, migros museum für gegenwartskunst, Zürich, the Tate
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
and the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
collection.
External links
- Jessica Lack, Artful bodger, The Guardian, April 26, 2008.
- Interview about South London Cultural Centre, Dossier JournalDossier JournalDossier Journal is an independently published and owned bi-annual arts and culture journal. Content draws upon a wide range of subjects, including fashion features, art and photography portfolios, fiction, poetry, critical essays, interviews, recipes, crossword puzzles, articles on film,...
, September 21, 2009.