AMSTERDAM.- Gavin Turk is renowned for transforming banal, overlooked objects – refuse bags, apple cores, matchboxes – into intricately constructed works of fine art, be it through his hand-painted bronzes or masterful canvas paintings.

For his new project he began by preserving and cataloguing used disposable packaging, in what the artist refers to as 'an exercise in self-portraiture.' By listing the products depicted in each composition in the artwork titles, Turk offers a glimpse into his consumption habits, prompting reflection on the significance of these mundane artifacts as traces of human presence over time. As Turk aptly states, "We are what we throw away." Each work is set within a bespoke frame, suggesting a distinctive historical journey for each piece, culminating in their convergence for this exhibition.

The paintings are meticulously executed in a restricted tonal palette against a monochrome background, sometimes highlighting an objects in accents of colour, inviting a close study of rhythmically arranged lines and forms. Through the elevation from empty containers of used products to classical models, Turk challenges the viewer to explore this juxtaposition, while simultaneously reminding us of our consumer driven culture.

Gavin Turk was born 1967 in Guildford, England, and attended the Royal College of Art in London. In his 1991 MA exhibition, Cave, he presented a whitewashed studio space containing a single blue heritage plaque commemorating his presence. Though he refused a degree, his subsequent notoriety attracted the attention of Charles Saatchi, and he became part of a group known as the 'Young British Artists' (YBAs). He has since been represented by major galleries throughout the world and is known for pioneering many forms of contemporary British sculpture now taken for granted, including the painted bronze, the waxwork, the recycled art-historical icon, and the use of rubbish in art. His work is included in numerous international collections including the Tate, London, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, and Museum of Modern Art, New York. Turk lives and works in London.

"Looking at the precious and overlooked nature of product packaging, I have become a domestic anthropologist, attempting to uncover the conspiracy of blindness imposed by ideological perspectives."