Murder considered as a fine art (the ritualised death of the international mural artist)

Vasseur, R

Abstract

The ongoing project Murder Considered as a Fine Art is both a provocation delivered via written and drawn proposals and a discussion concerning the ethical incentives underlying the employment of 'culture' in urban regeneration and government policy. The project focuses on a particular instance of a public art project carried out on an under-maintained East London Council Estate and a historical local event that saw the mob-attended burial of an infamous murderer famously written about by the author Thomas de Quincey in his mock moral essay Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.

The initial research and concept was selected for exhibition by Gallery of Austrian Cultural Foundation, London for exhibition in 'Franz West and Friends' October 2002. Other artists selected included; Franz West, Sarah Lucas, Bob and Roberta Smith. It was also selected for exhibition at Jeffrey Charles Gallery, London and was selected by independent curators B+B for re-exhibition at ICA, London for the series of shows 'London in Six Easy Steps'. The individual show entitled Real Estate was featured by The Guardian, August 2005 and Mute magazine. It was included and illustrated in one of a series of publications produced by ICA to accompany the exhibitions.

Subsequently selected to be shown at East International '06 by Jeremy Deller, Dirk Snauerwaert along with a new development in the work, Cursed Commission, a 4m x 4m painting and gift to local councillors. A catalogue accompanied the exhibition.

It was included in exhibition Little Private Governments, University Gallery, University of Essex, curators Dr. Amanda Beech, Matt Poole (acting director MA Gallery Studies and Critical Curating). The show included works by Jake and Dinos Chapman, Jenny Holzer, Pil and Galia Kollectiv, Martin Kippenberger. The show had a catalogue with texts by Suhail Malik, Amanda Beech and Roman Vasseur.

• Exhibition Performance Type: Exhibition
• Conference Name: Murder considered as a fine art
• Start Date: Aug 1, 2002
• End Date: Aug 1, 2005
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2005
• Keywords: murder, fine art, ritual, death, international mural artist
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/1436369