david shrigley exhibits a urinating life model for turner prize

david shrigley exhibits a urinating life model for turner prize
image couretsy of derrylondonderry2013

the four artists competing for this year’s turner prize unveil their exhibits for the first time today — wednesday, october 23rd, 2013 — at ebrington in derry~londonderry. the 2013 nominees include laure prouvost, tino sehgal, lynette yiadom-boakye, and david shrigley.

among the exhibitions shown for the prize is shrigley’s ‘life model’ — a participatory art experience that invites members of the public to draw a giant sculptural nude boy located on a plinth in the center of the room. the space is set up like a university ‘life-drawing’ class: a naked figure posed in the middle of the room, chairs around its’ circumference, and arranged drawing paper for quick anatomical sketches and studies. the strangely-proportioned, bare-skinned character is quite unlike any model typical to schools, however; his over-sized ears and nose take up much of his face, his animatronic beady eyes blink, and occasionally, he urinates into a metal bucket near his feet. visitors are asked to draw what they see on provided pens and pads, rendering the sculpture’s image in whichever style most suits them. the etchings are then plastered on the gallery walls, filling the space with user-generated art.

visitors to the exhibition are asked to draw the giant nude figure at the center of the room
image courtesy of derrylondonderry2013

the sculpture’s over-sized eyes, ears and nose take up much of his face
image couretsy of derrylondonderry2013

art hung up on the walls collected from various visitors
image couretsy of derrylondonderry2013

guardian art critic adrian searle visited the turner prize exhibition in derry and gives his verdict on the urinating artwork. watch the video of his analysis, below:

a full frontal view of the urinating boy
image courtesy of the guardian