Tim Etchells

Tim Etchells (UK, 1962) lives and works between London and Sheffield. Exploring contradictory aspects of language in playful and poetic ways, Etchells has created a considerable oeuvre in neon and LED sculpture, as well as video, drawing and performance. Infiltrating galleries, street corners, shop windows, rooftops and other locations, Etchells’ works often spell out simple-but-intriguing phrases, messages and instructions which appear to address the viewer directly. He’s interested to create moments of thoughtfulness and playful encounter in a public setting; the work is public but private at the same time, a dialogue with context that tries to draw each person encountering it into a space of intimate reflection and speculation. Etchells has produced major commissions for public space internationally.

His works has been presented in museums, galleries, biennales and fairs, including La Triennale di Milano; Tate Modern, London; Hayward Gallery, London; Gasworks, London; Bloomberg SPACE, London; Turner Contemporary, Margate; BALTIC, Gateshead; Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth; Kunsthalle Wein, Vienna; Kunstverein Braunschweig; Kunsthalle Mainz, Mainz; Jakopič Gallery, Ljubljana; Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow; Folkestone Triennial, Folkestone; Gothenburg International Biennial; Manifesta 7, Rovereto, among others.

The artist has worked in a variety of contexts, notably as the leader of the world-renowned Sheffield-based performance group Forced Entertainment and in collaboration with a wide range of musicians, artists and performance makers, including Meg Stuart/Damaged Goods, Marino Formenti, Taus Mahakacheva, Vlatka Horvat, Ant Hampton, Aisha Orazbayeva and Elmgreen & Dragset.