Mark Wallinger

Mark Wallinger is a prominent contemporary artist in the United Kingdom, recognized for his thoughtful and influential works over the past three decades. He received the Turner Prize in 2007 for his installation State Britain, after being nominated in 1995. Wallinger's Ecce Homo (1999-2000) was the first artwork to occupy the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square, and he represented Britain at the 2001 Venice Biennale. His major and permanent commission for Art on the Underground, Labyrinth (2013), celebrated the 150th anniversary of the London Underground. Wallinger also created Writ in Water (2018) for the National Trust to honor Magna Carta at Runnymede and The World Turned Upside Down (2019) for the London School of Economics.

Throughout his career, Wallinger has explored themes of power, authority, illusion, and artifice. His work employs epic narratives, metaphors, and puns to intertwine the mythological, political, and everyday. Despite using diverse mediums such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, film, and performance, Wallinger's conceptual coherence poses significant questions about identity and the social, cultural, and political power structures that shape our existence. His work is surprising, inventive, and profound, highlighting the artist's versatility and enduring influence.