Martin Boyce
'Brushing Against Strange Weeds (Shapes and Noises)', 2004
Four colour screenprint on Fabriano 4 Liscia paper
Edition of 25.
100 x 70cm (image size: 89 x 60cm)
Signed, numbered and dated by artist on front

Martin Boyce is one of Scotland's most prominent artists and is well known for his sculptural installations that draw on the familiarity of our immediate urban or natural environments:

"His works reference conventional public spaces - the playground, pedestrian subway, discarded or abandoned sites - to form a cohesive and immersive environment…sculptural forms recall conventional public furniture; benches, bins, signage and lighting. Drawing on the iconography and subsequent production of modernist design; these objects take on an alternative life by being displaced from their original context and purpose." ('No Reflections', published by DCA, 2009)

Martin Boyce developed a series of three screen prints in the DCA Print Studio. The works relate to his 2004 exhibition ‘Brushing Against Strange Weeds’ at the Modern Institute, Glasgow and previous works shown at Tramway, Glasgow.

The prints stem from shapes seen in a photograph of four concrete trees created by Joël and Jan Martel for the 1925 ‘Exposition des Arts Décoratifs’ in Paris. Flattened and translated into strong urban colours reminiscent of industrial signage, in the artist’s words these trees "represent a perfect collapse of architecture and nature”.

In 2009 Martin Boyce was selected by DCA to represent Scotland at the 53rd International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. This was the first occasion that Scotland selected a single artist for representation. A new specially commissioned print edition and publication by Martin Boyce were released in conjunction with his project No Reflections for Scotland and Venice.

Born in Hamilton, Scotland in 1967, Martin Boyce lives and works in Glasgow. Recent exhibitions and public projects include Kaldor Art Projects, Melbourne; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham; Münster Sculpture Project, Münster; and Sculpture Center, New York. His works are held in many museum collections including the Tate collection.