Ceal Floyer

This exhibition of work by British artist Ceal Floyer consisted of sculptural mixed-media pieces and video, characteristically subtle, combining a gentle sense of humour with profound observations drawn from everyday life. Through the use of double-take and uncompromising deductive strategies, Floyer tests the limits of aesthetic experience in her practice.

Recent examples of her work include a black rubbish bag full of (art gallery) air and Monochrome, a supermarket receipt listing only purchases of white products. A series made especially for the artist’s 2001 exhibition at Ikon, for instance, consisted of several sheets of blotting paper saturated with the contents of drained felt-tip pens and consequently marked with spreading circles of colour. The knowingness of Floyer's work, its references to artistic precedents, adds to a richness of meanings made possible by minimalism. As a result, Floyer implies a whole range of other ways in which the world might work, and in so doing, invokes a vision offered by some of the best art and aimed at in much of Ikon’s programme.

This catalogue, published to coincide with the 2001 exhibition, explores this theme more deeply through a transcribed conversation between Ikon Director Jonathan Watkins and the artist, and includes an essay by curator and artist Jeremy Millar, as well as several colour photographs of previous works such as Helix and Untitled (Twin Decks).