You can spot a Michael Craig-Martin from miles away. The influential British artist has been pumping out variations on the same theme for decades now: simple line drawings of everyday objects, rendered in bright Technicolour hues. He’s been a big shot of conceptual art for years, he’s had a massive influence on the YBAs, and he’s taught generations of future artists. This show brings together a handful of his big sculptures.
The objects depicted are classic Craig-Martin. There’s a giant lightbulb, a giant knife and fork, a giant corkscrew, etc. You get the idea.
These are pretty things; reductive, austere, simple, playful. But the truth is, I can’t find a reason for why you should care. His paintings have an appeal of their own, and I like them well enough. But these sculptures feel like they’re destined for public squares in dull cities, foyers in ugly buildings. They’ll be inescapable, bright, little conceptual signifiers that will sit unobtrusively and pointlessly in whatever space they end up occupying. One day, you’ll eat an M&S sandwich next to one on your lunch break, and barely even notice it.