Michael Craig-Martin is a contemporary conceptual artist and painter. He produced an installation for The IVAM (Institut Valencià d'Art Modern). The IVAM is a new building but one of their galleries, La Sala de la Muralla shows the remains of the city’s mediaeval ramparts that were built in the second half of the 14th Century. And it is in this gallery that Craig-Martin has designed his installation for, he transformed the gallery into a series of environments of lurid colour, onto which he painted his characteristic motifs of tables, chairs and stepladders and also hung paintings, reliefs and wall-mounted sculptures. I love the juxtaposition here between the 14th century stone walls and arches and the bright contemporary colours used on the walls.
Part of Craig-Martin's work includes stylised drawings of mass-produced objects: sandals, sardine cans, milk bottles. "I thought the objects we value least because they were ubiquitous were actually the most extraordinary." I like this notion of the ordinary being extraordinary and special. Perhaps this is why he has chosen to use the image of household knives against a religious shrine, to emphasise that we should celebrate the ordinary. Whatever his reasons, I like the contrast of the old religious shrine and stone walls against the bright colours and range of boldly outlined motifs.
Images from: http://www.michaelcraigmartin.co.uk/
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