DOUGLAS GORDON (SCOTTISH B.1966) §
MONSTER REBORN
£30,000
Auction: 15 March 2017 at 11:00 GMT
Description
Number 5 of a limited edition of 11 (with four artist's proofs), transmounted colour photograph, 1996/1997/2002
Dimensions
84.5cm x 125cm (33.25in x 49.25in)
Footnote
Note: A certificate of authenticity accompanies this lot
In Monster Reborn Douglas Gordon depicts himself twice, once in a straight portrait, and then again in a distorted view, where dressed and staged completely the same, just his face is distorted using sellotapte. This creates a striking duality between the presentable, rational man and a monstrous other, held within the same body. Beyond that Monster Reborn is a 2002 re-interpretation of one of Gordon's previous artworks, 1996's Monster. In this re-working the artist has reversed the order of the photographs, so now the monstrous self-depiction appears first, on the left-hand side. Raising the question, did the monster come before the man?
Although Monster, Reborn is particularly self-referential, mostly Gordon references other cultural phenomenon in his art, the best known being his video installation 24-Hour Psycho, where he slowed down Alfred Hitchcock's feature film Psycho, until it lasted 24 hours, warping any sense of suspense created by the original. The duality of experience is also a key focus for Gordon, particularly internal conflict between the self and other, and our rational and monstrous traits. It has been argued that this focus is a particularity in the Scottish cultural psyche and can be traced back to literary texts such as The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. In his artistic practice, Gordon is exploring its contemporary relevance, both personally and visually.
Douglas Gordon trained at Glasgow School of Art and the Slade School of Art, before winning the Turner Prize in 1996. He now lives and works in Berlin, Glasgow and New York. Monster, Reborn features in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland.