Interview with Artist Will Tuck

Jupiter and Callisto, Will Tuck

With the Frieze, Zoo and Affordable Art Fairs along with countless new exhibition openings London is gearing up for a bumper October of art. Everyone is on the lookout for the Next Big Thing ( aren’t they always?) but this year, there really is an exciting aesthetic bubbling under that’s refreshingly reflective and intelligent but very ‘now.’ Young artist Will Tuck is one of the best examples of this New London School. We caught up with him as he prepares for his first solo show.

“I’d hate for people to take my work as not intentionally kitsch. They’re not incredibly tasteful,” says Will Tuck, self-deprecatingly.

And his stand-out canvasses in bubble gum brights ( created entirely using an airbrush ) appear to be the height of kooky beauty and  tongue-in-cheek erotica.

But look a little closer – and, indeed, talk to Will a bit longer – and it becomes clear that his paintings tell a classical story with a contemporary twist.

If Michaelangelo spent the day watching MTV and the night clubbing in Fabric he may well have created something like these.

Although surprisingly ( I expected the former graffiti artist to be an uber EastEnder but he “can’t stand Shoreditch and Hoxton” ) Will is measured, quiet and  very unlike the rather brash  YBA’s such as Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin who revelled in their own shock factor.

Having completed his Masters at the Royal Academy in 2005, Will’s work challenges the very idea of painting.
“ I did have a problem with painting because I questioned why you would actually do it. The way you make paintings is identical no matter what the subject matter. That drove me into a bit of a hole,” he explains.
“But when I looked at the Old Masters I saw that motifs occurred that seem random, particularly from classical mythology and  religion.
They recurred because they were ways into a painting as opposed to wanting to actually illustrate classical mythology.
And also there was a desire to create perfect worlds, or worlds that were better than this one.
“ So I took these motifs that only exist in paintings and have put them together in a classical tableaux, and mixed them up with a smurf, a cherub, a plastic toy or a Manga motif.”

The results are fantastical, works that fuse hi and lo culture, past and present.
And although very knowing,  because of the modern motifs and classical compositions (giving them a sense of familiarity) they are highly accessible and raise a smile.

There’s a striking talent at the heart of these paintings, yet Will  - who has exhibited in  New York and London, including the BP Portrait Award and has his next solo show in Miami -  questions even that.

“When you have much easier ways to make an image why would you make a painting?” he muses.
“ It’s probably something to do with human labour, or a skill thing, doing something someone else can’t do or won’t do.”
It’s true that painting and the creativity involved is having something of a renaissence.

In our Googled world where everything is given the same value ( “ I like the idea of neutrality on the net, all images whether a Botticelli or a photo of a caravan are equal ”)  painting is increasingly seen as something with substance and credability.
“ Or maybe there’s just lots of money flying around, and the art world is market driven rather than culturally driven,” he counters, “ Or I’m too cynical!”

It’s a subject that’s sure to discussed and dissected in the coming weeks.
But one thing is certain.
Will’s highly articulate and technical paintings are at the forefront of a shift in focus in art, and probably society as a whole.

Perhaps we’re growing tired of  being ironic, immediate and overloaded with information and want to stop and ask that old chestnut: “What does it all mean?”
Smurfs, plastic toys and cherubs are definitely a start.

Loma-Ann Bonner

Will Tuck, Carter&Gallagher, 22 Upper Grosvenor Street, London, W1, From October 1st.

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