Nob | Sarah Lucas (Revolver)

Sarah Lucas is one of the most outstanding British artists of her generation, which garnered an international reputation under the heading Young British Artists in the 1990s. With the sculptures and objects she makes from readily available materials such as household objects or foodstuffs, as well as her photographic self-portraits, Sarah Lucas has developed an unmistakable visual and material language rich in art-historical references and associations. The artist reveals and simultaneously undermines sexual stereotypes with the outspoken directness of the sexual innuendo characteristic of her works. In this way Lucas always expresses deep scepticism towards social norms and the gender-specific attribution of roles, albeit with an enigmatic sense of humour. For her exhibition in secession she designed - together with Julian Simmons - an artist book with Sarah Lucas, which gives a rare insight into the artist?s thinking and making of art.

Its title originates from the word "knob", which Sarah Lucas prefers to write as it is pronounced. "knob" can mean a round door handle, but colloquially, of course, it is synonymous with penis - although not quite as crude as "dick", "cock" or "pecker" - and can also be used to refer to an idiot, while "knobs" are a term for female breasts, or to be more precise, for the nipples.

"I've been musing on the penis, artwise, since the early nineties. Initially it was an antidote to all the tits and bums we seem to be bombarded with daily. It could also have something to do with the fact that I don't, personally, have one. In any case I found it to be a perfectly self-contained sculptural form, 'pregnant' with meaning. A totem." (Sarah Lucas, "My phallic response to Britten's centenary", in: The Independent, May 1, 2013)

Texts: Sarah Lucas, Jeanette Pacher, András Pálffy, Julian Simmons