Stuckism
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Categories: British art | Contemporary art | Artist groups and collectives | Art movements | Painters
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Image:StuckismLogo.gif
The logo on the Stuckism International web site
Stuckism is an art movement that was founded in 1999 in Britain by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art. The Stuckists formed as an alternative to the Charles Saatchi-patronised Young British Artists (also known as Brit Art). The original group of thirteen artists has since expanded to over 120 groups around the world. Childish left the group in 2001. They have staged many shows, but have gained more attention for outspoken media comments and demonstrations, particularly outside Tate Britain against the Turner Prize, sometimes dressed in clown costumes. After exhibiting mainly in small galleries in Shoreditch, London, they were given their first show in a major public museum in 2004, The Walker Art Gallery as part of the Liverpool Biennial. Other campaigns mounted by the group include official avenues, such as standing for parliament, reporting Saatchi to the Office of Fair Trading to complain about his power in the art world, and applying under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for Tate Gallery trustee minutes, which started a media scandal about the purchase of Chris Ofili's work, The Upper Room (which led to an official rebuke of the Tate by the Charity Commission).
NameImage:MedwayPoets.jpg
Sexton Ming, Tracey Emin, Charles Thomson, Billy Childish and musician Russell Wilkinson at the Rochester Adult Education Centre December 11, 1987 to record The Medway Poets LP
The name Stuckism was coined by Thomson in response to a comment, made by artist Tracey Emin to Billy Childish, then her boyfriend, which he had recorded in a poem as:
OriginMost of the members of the first thirteen-strong Stuckists group founded in 1999 had been in collaboration for up to two decades previously, and in 1979 had formed The Medway Poets, which included later Stuckists Bill Lewis and Sexton Ming. Other members of the first Stuckists group were Philip Absolon, Frances Castle, Sheila Clark, Eamon Everall, Ella Guru (now married to Sexton Ming), Wolf Howard, Sanchia Lewis (no relation to Bill Lewis), Joe Machine and Charles Williams. ManifestosThe group are defined by their Stuckists manifesto, written by Childish and Thomson in 1999, that places great importance on the value of painting as a medium, as well as the use of it for communication and the expression of emotion and experience - as opposed to what they see as the superficial novelty, nihilism and irony of conceptual art and postmodernism. The most contentious statement in their manifesto is: "Artists who don't paint aren't artists". In a second manifesto, the Stuckists declared that they aimed to replace postmodernism with Remodernism, a period of renewed spiritual (as opposed to religious) values in art, culture and society. Other manifestos include An Open Letter to Sir Nicholas Serota (which received a brief reply from him[1]: Thank you for your open letter dated 6 March. You will not be surprised to learn that I have no comment to make on your letter, or your manifesto 'Remodernism'.), The Turner Prize, The Decrepitude of the Critic, and Handy Hints. ActivitiesImage:Stuckists-First-Group.jpg
The first Stuckists group of 13 artists at the Real Turner Prize Show, Pure Gallery, Shoreditch, London, in October 2000
In January 1999, the first Stuckists group was co-founded by Thomson and Childish with 10 other artists (Sanchia Lewis became the 13th member in September during the first show). Founding artist Ella Guru started the Stuckist web site. In July 1999, the Stuckists were first mentioned in the media, in an article in The Evening Standard and quickly gained other coverage , helped by fervid press interest in Tracey Emin who had been nominated for the Turner Prize. They have continued to gain media coverage since. The Stuckists have staged numerous exhibitions of their work, starting in September 1999 with Stuck! Stuck! Stuck! in Joe Crompton's Gallery 108 (now defunct) in Shoreditch, and The Resignation of Sir Nicholas Serota. In 2000 they gained attention by staging The Real Turner Prize Show at the same time as the Tate Gallery's official version. Thomson stood as a Stuckist candidate for the 2001 British General Election, in the constituency of Islington South & Finsbury, against Chris Smith, the then Secretary of State for Culture. He picked up 108 votes (0.4%). From 2002 to 2005 Thomson ran the Stuckism International Centre and Gallery in Shoreditch, London. In 2003, under the title A Dead Shark Isn't Art, the gallery exhibited a shark which had first been put on public display in 1989 (two years before Damien Hirst's) by Eddie Saunders in his Shoreditch shop, JD Electrical Supplies. It was suggested Hirst may have seen this at the time and copied it, but that anyway Saunders was the real pioneering artist.[2] In 2003 they reported Charles Saatchi to the UK Office of Fair Trading, complaining that he had an effective monopoly on art. The complaint was not upheld.[3] In 2003, an allied group Stuckism Photography was founded by Larry Dunstan and Andy Bullock. In 2005 the Stuckists offered a donation of 175 paintings from the Walker show to the Tate. This was rejected by the Tate Board of Trustees. Image:Stuckists-Tate-2005.jpg
Outside the Turner Prize, Tate Britain, 2005: Stuckists demonstrate against the purchase of Chris Ofili's The Upper Room. The cutout is Tate Chairman Paul Myners.
In August 2005 the Stuckists initiated a major controversy over the Tate's purchase of its trustee Chris Ofili's work The Upper Room for £705,000.[4] In July 2006 the Charity Commission completed an investigation into The Tate's purchase of trustees' work, censuring the gallery for acting outside its legal powers.[5] Sir Nicholas Serota stated that the Stuckists had "acted in the public interest".[6] In October 2006, the Stuckists staged their first exhibition, Go West, in a commercial West End gallery, Spectrum London. This "major exhibition"[7] signalled their entry as "major players" in the art world.[8] DemonstrationsThe Stuckists gained significant media coverage for seven years of protests (2000-2006) outside Tate Britain against the Turner Prize, sometimes dressed as clowns. In 2001 they demonstrated in Trafalgar Square at the unveiling of Rachel Whiteread's Monument. In 2002, they carried a coffin marked The Death of Conceptual Art to the White Cube Gallery. In 2004 outside the launch of The Triumph of Painting at the Saatchi Gallery they wore tall hats with Charles Saatchi's face on and carried placards claiming that Saatchi had copied their ideas. In 2005 they protested outside the Turner Prize against the purchase of Ofili's The Upper Room. Events outside Britain have included The Clown Trial of President Bush held in New Haven in 2003 to protest against the Iraq War. Michael Dickinson has exhibited political and satirical collages in Turkey for which he has been arrested.[9] The Stuckists Punk VictorianImage:Stuckists-Punk.jpg
Cover of the book The Stuckists Punk Victorian with Paul Harvey's painting of Emily Mann.
The Stuckists Punk Victorian was the first national gallery exhibition of Stuckist art. It was held at the Walker Art Gallery and Lady Lever Art Gallery and was part of the 2004 Liverpool Biennial. It consisted of over 250 paintings by 37 artists, mostly from the UK but also with a representation of international Stuckist artists from the US, Germany and Australia. There was an accompanying exhibition of Stuckist photographers. A book, The Stuckists Punk Victorian, was published to accompany the exhibition. International symposiumAn international symposium on Stuckism took place in October 2006 at the Liverpool John Moores University during the Liverpool Biennial. The programme was led by Naive John, founder of the Liverpool Stuckists. There was an accompanying exhibition in the 68 Hope Gallery at Liverpool School of Art and Design (John Moores University Gallery). International MovementThe Stuckists have grown to an international movement and by 2006 numbered 138 (affiliated but independent) groups in 34 countries AustraliaIn October 2000, Regan Tamanui founded the Melbourne Stuckists,[1] the fourth Stuckist group to be started and the first one outside the UK. On October 27, 2000, he staged the Real Turner Prize Show at the Dead End Gallery in his home, concurrent with three shows with the same title in England (London, Falmouth and Dartington), and one in Germany, in protest against the Tate Gallery's Turner Prize. Other Australian Stuckists include Godfrey Blow. Americain 2000, Susan Constance founded the first US group The Pittsburgh Stuckists—the second group to be founded outside the UK. This was announced in the Pittsburgh Weekly (November 1 2000): "The new word in art is Stuckism. A Stuckist paints their life, mind and soul with no pretensions and no excuses."[2] By 2006 there were 21 US Stuckist groups. There have been Stuckist shows and demonstrations in the US, and American Stuckists have also exhibited in international Stuckist shows abroad. US Stuckists include Jeffrey Scott Holland, Tony Juliano, Frank Kozik, Terry Marks and Jesse Richards. EuropeThe mainstay of the Stuckists has been in the UK, where by 2006 there were 63 groups. Artists include Elsa Dax, Paul Harvey, Naive John, Jane Kelly, Emily Mann, Udaiyan, Peter McArdle, Peter Murphy, Rachel Jordan and Guy Denning. John Bourne opened Stuckism Wales at his home, a permanent exhibition of (mainly Welsh) paintings. A regular guest artist, Mandy McCartin. Mark D and Arfius Arf are new affiliates. Stuckists outside the UK include artists such as Peter Klint, Andreas Torneberg, Frank Christopher Schroeder (Germany), Odysseus Yakoumakis (Greece), Kloot Per W (Belgium) and Michael Dickinson (Turkey). New generationA "Students for Stuckism" group was founded in 2000 by students from Camberwell College of Arts, who staged their own exhibition. S.P. Howarth was expelled from Camberwell college for his Stuckist work as stated in The Times newspaper. He had the first solo at the Stuckism International Gallery in 2002, called "I Don't Want a Painting Degree if it Means Not Painting",. Recent graduates who have joined the Stuckists include Abby Jackson. An "Underage Stuckists" group was founded in 2006 with their own manifesto for teenagers by two 16 year olds, Liv Soul and Rebekah Maybury.[10] Image:Vine-Vote-Stuckist.jpg
Stella Vine exhibits her work for the first time, in the Vote Stuckist show at the Fridge Gallery, Brixton, June 2001, with work done at Hampstead School of Art.[11]
Ex StuckistsCo-founder, Billy Childish left the group in 2001, but has stated that he remains committed to its principles. Stella Vine, an artist promoted by Charles Saatchi in 2004, was first shown by the Stuckists in 2001. She rejected the group after a few months and has since expressed hostility to it.[3] Sexton Ming left to concentrate on a solo career with the Aquarium Gallery. Wolf Howard left in 2006, but has exhibited with the group since. Jesse Richards who ran the Stuckism Centre USA in New Haven, left the group in 2006, but still works with some current and former members on occasion. Gina Bold was first exhibited by the Stuckism International Gallery 2002-3, including her first solo show. Mary von Stockhausen, who runs the Stuckist Centre Germany in Lewenhagen, left the group in 2007. CriticismAnti-Stuckist movementIn 1999, two performance artists, Yuan Chai and Jian Jun Xi, jumped on Tracey Emin's installation My Bed, a work consisting of the artist's own unmade bed, at the Tate Gallery's Turner Prize, in an unauthorised art intervention. Chai had written, among other things, the words "Anti Stuckism" on his bare back. Fiachra Gibbons of The Guardian wrote that the event "will go down in art history as the defining moment of the new and previously unheard of Anti-Stuckist Movement."[12] OthersThe filmmaker Andrew Kotting released a manifesto declaring "The work should prove anti-Stuckist, genuinely post-modern, contingent and ad hoc in its thinking." The London Surrealist group issued a manifesto denouncing Stuckism. 
Group showsUK
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Spectrum London Gallery, September 2006, during Stuckists Go West
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