1301PE is pleased to present its third solo-exhibition with acclaimed British artist, Fiona Banner. Banner's early work took inspiration from popular culture (cinema, language, pornography), in the form of wordscapes. Deploying big blocks of printed text, run-on and unpunctuated these wordscapes were scene-by-scene descriptions in the in her own words of war films and porn.
Fascinated with the nude as portrayed in the history of art, Banner has turned her attention to the female form, presenting a new series of text-based descriptions, made from life models. Utilizing words as opposed to line or color, Banner is able to reinvent the nude. More than just descriptive texts these works remain deeply engaged with the history of painting. Typically associated with the gaze of the male painters, Banner breaks new ground in describing the feminine form. These drawings work in a hyper-intimate way, between the viewer and the subject. Banner will also feature neon work that reads Nude Standing. Shaped by her own hand, the peach/ flesh color tone neon operates as an illuminated drawing for Banner's wordscapes.
Fiona Banner was born in 1966. She lives and works in London. Banner is represented in various collections in the US and abroad including The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Philadelphia Museum; The Arts Council of England; Tate Gallery, London; and the Walker Art Gallery, Minneapolis. In 2003, Banner was short-listed for the Turner Prize.
One-person museum exhibitions and projects include Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen and Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee in 2002; Emily Carr Institute, Vancouver in 2000; Statements, Basel Art Fair and ASTERISK, Gesellschaft fur Aktuelle Kunst, Bremen in 1999; Art Now Room, Tate Gallery, London in 1998; The Nam - 1000 page all text flick book, London in 1997; Pushing Back The Edge Of The Envelope, City Racing, London in 1994.
Selected group exhibitions include Eye on Europe, MOMA, New York in 2006; Tate Britain and Remix: Contemporary Art and Pop, Tate Liverpool in 2002; Total Object, Complete with Missing Parts, Tramway 2, Glasgow (curated by Andrew Renton) in 2001; Berlin Biennale, Berlin, (curated by Saskia Bos) in 2001; Cinema Cinema, Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven in 1999; Slipstream, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow; Narrative Urge, Uppsala Konstmuseum, Sweden, and Point Break, Project for Tate Magazine (Commissioned by Tate Gallery, Liverpool) in 1998; Urban Legends - London, Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Germany in 1997; Venice Biennale, Venice in 1995; Institute of Cultural Anxiety, ICA, London in 1994.
