Gavin Turk British, 1967
Holy Egg (Byzantine Gold), 2022
Gold leaf and acrylic paint on canvas
173 x 122 cm. (68 1/8 x 48 in.)
Copyright The Artist
In Holy Egg (Byzantine Gold) (2022), Gavin Turk boldly appropriates Lucio Fontana’s iconic Concetto spaziale, La Fine di Dio (1963–64), recasting the Italian master’s exploration of space and the metaphysical...
In Holy Egg (Byzantine Gold) (2022), Gavin Turk boldly appropriates Lucio Fontana’s iconic Concetto spaziale, La Fine di Dio (1963–64), recasting the Italian master’s exploration of space and the metaphysical within his own conceptual framework. At first glance, Turk’s artwork appears to mimic the elliptical shape and dramatic punctures of Fontana's original, yet upon closer inspection, it reveals itself as a complex meditation on authenticity, authorship, and the symbolism inherent in the egg. With a rich gold leaf surface, the canvas is punctured and vandalised with dramatic incisions that not only evoke the physical violence of the gesture but also open a dialogue between the two-dimensional canvas and three-dimensional space. The perforations pierce through to reveal the void behind the surface, transforming the flat plane into an immersive, sculptural experience.
The egg, an archetypal and charged object, serves as a central motif in Holy Egg. Representing birth and rebirth, the egg embodies a closed loop of life and death, alpha and omega. It is a form that predates language, evoking the inaccessible unknown and the mystical origins of existence. Turk’s manipulation of the egg shape – riddled with holes and slashed with violent energy – confronts the viewer with notions of both creation and destruction. The punctures, positioned in a carefully considered arrangement, subtly incorporate the artist's initials near the central opening, further asserting Turk’s characteristic integration of the artist's signature into the work itself, while also alluding to the physical wounds of the stigmata of Christ. This religious iconography layers the artwork with connotations of martyrdom and transcendence, connecting the mundane object of the egg with profound spiritual themes.
The use of gold leaf in Holy Egg is significant as it evokes a sense of reverence and timelessness, aligning the work with both religious tradition and art historical references. Gold leaf has long been associated with Byzantine icons and sacred art, where it symbolised divine light, eternity, and the presence of the spiritual realm. By incorporating this material, Turk imbues the work with a sacred aura, elevating the egg motif beyond its earthly associations to one of profound transcendence. The reflective quality of the gold invites the viewer to engage with the surface as both a mirror and a portal, encouraging contemplation of the void revealed by the perforations. This interplay between the lustrous, unblemished gold and the violent incisions underscores the tension between beauty and destruction, reinforcing Turk’s exploration of creation, mortality, and the metaphysical. In doing so, the gold leaf becomes not only a visual anchor but also a conceptual tool, drawing connections between historical iconography and contemporary concerns of authenticity and meaning in art.
In appropriating Fontana’s Fine di Dio, Turk engages with one of the most important figures of post-war European art. Fontana’s radical puncturing of the canvas was a pioneering gesture that broke with the traditional understanding of painting, challenging the boundary between surface and space. His Fine di Dio series of egg-shaped canvases, all violently punctured, symbolised the rupture between the physical and the metaphysical, allowing the viewer to glimpse the infinite. Turk’s reference to Fontana’s work is not simply homage but a recontextualisation that asks what it means for an artwork to carry the ‘aura’ of originality in a postmodern era dominated by appropriation. By taking Fontana’s innovations and embedding them within a contemporary dialogue on art and authenticity, Holy Egg bridges the past and present, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be while drawing attention to the continued relevance of Fontana’s revolutionary approach.
Holy Egg marks a significant moment in Gavin Turk’s career, produced during a period where the artist was consolidating his practice around themes of authenticity, authorship, and identity. Turk has long been associated with the Young British Artists (YBAs); a group known for challenging traditional notions of art. This piece follows a trajectory in Turk’s oeuvre where he interrogates the role of the artist and the nature of the art object itself. The use of the egg motif has resonance in his work, harking back to earlier explorations of fame, self-mythology, and existential questioning. As such, Holy Egg serves as a synthesis of his conceptual concerns, presenting a powerful statement on the nature of creation, destruction, and the enduring power of symbols in art.
The work also stands as a comment on the act of iconoclasm – of defacing or destroying images – while paradoxically celebrating the icon’s enduring power. Through the act of perforation, Turk simultaneously vandalises and sanctifies the egg, playing with the dialectic between iconography and iconoclasm. The richly painted surface that is so brutally punctured evokes flesh, with the surrounding areas taking on a visceral quality that suggests the act of violation is not merely a formal gesture but one that bears deep symbolic weight.
The egg, an archetypal and charged object, serves as a central motif in Holy Egg. Representing birth and rebirth, the egg embodies a closed loop of life and death, alpha and omega. It is a form that predates language, evoking the inaccessible unknown and the mystical origins of existence. Turk’s manipulation of the egg shape – riddled with holes and slashed with violent energy – confronts the viewer with notions of both creation and destruction. The punctures, positioned in a carefully considered arrangement, subtly incorporate the artist's initials near the central opening, further asserting Turk’s characteristic integration of the artist's signature into the work itself, while also alluding to the physical wounds of the stigmata of Christ. This religious iconography layers the artwork with connotations of martyrdom and transcendence, connecting the mundane object of the egg with profound spiritual themes.
The use of gold leaf in Holy Egg is significant as it evokes a sense of reverence and timelessness, aligning the work with both religious tradition and art historical references. Gold leaf has long been associated with Byzantine icons and sacred art, where it symbolised divine light, eternity, and the presence of the spiritual realm. By incorporating this material, Turk imbues the work with a sacred aura, elevating the egg motif beyond its earthly associations to one of profound transcendence. The reflective quality of the gold invites the viewer to engage with the surface as both a mirror and a portal, encouraging contemplation of the void revealed by the perforations. This interplay between the lustrous, unblemished gold and the violent incisions underscores the tension between beauty and destruction, reinforcing Turk’s exploration of creation, mortality, and the metaphysical. In doing so, the gold leaf becomes not only a visual anchor but also a conceptual tool, drawing connections between historical iconography and contemporary concerns of authenticity and meaning in art.
In appropriating Fontana’s Fine di Dio, Turk engages with one of the most important figures of post-war European art. Fontana’s radical puncturing of the canvas was a pioneering gesture that broke with the traditional understanding of painting, challenging the boundary between surface and space. His Fine di Dio series of egg-shaped canvases, all violently punctured, symbolised the rupture between the physical and the metaphysical, allowing the viewer to glimpse the infinite. Turk’s reference to Fontana’s work is not simply homage but a recontextualisation that asks what it means for an artwork to carry the ‘aura’ of originality in a postmodern era dominated by appropriation. By taking Fontana’s innovations and embedding them within a contemporary dialogue on art and authenticity, Holy Egg bridges the past and present, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be while drawing attention to the continued relevance of Fontana’s revolutionary approach.
Holy Egg marks a significant moment in Gavin Turk’s career, produced during a period where the artist was consolidating his practice around themes of authenticity, authorship, and identity. Turk has long been associated with the Young British Artists (YBAs); a group known for challenging traditional notions of art. This piece follows a trajectory in Turk’s oeuvre where he interrogates the role of the artist and the nature of the art object itself. The use of the egg motif has resonance in his work, harking back to earlier explorations of fame, self-mythology, and existential questioning. As such, Holy Egg serves as a synthesis of his conceptual concerns, presenting a powerful statement on the nature of creation, destruction, and the enduring power of symbols in art.
The work also stands as a comment on the act of iconoclasm – of defacing or destroying images – while paradoxically celebrating the icon’s enduring power. Through the act of perforation, Turk simultaneously vandalises and sanctifies the egg, playing with the dialectic between iconography and iconoclasm. The richly painted surface that is so brutally punctured evokes flesh, with the surrounding areas taking on a visceral quality that suggests the act of violation is not merely a formal gesture but one that bears deep symbolic weight.