Sam Taylor‑Wood

Sam Taylor‑Wood is one of the most widely discussed and intriguing exponents of “New British Art”. Initially devoting herself to sculpture, she developed an interest in film and photography as means for narrative situations whose attention is invariably centred on the isolation of the human emotion: discomfort, solitude, provocation, euphoria, agression and sexuality are all recurrent themes.

Through the construction of paradoxical scenes and estranging enviroments whose inhabitants are as if suspended between the real dimension of daily life and the timeless reality of classic iconography, the art of Sam Taylor‑Wood departs from the concept of a single wisdom, while revealing the extreme fragility of its logic.

Expression of radical and non‑conformist personality, her work has been defined “art‑film hybrid”, as it incorporates elements of photography, film, video installation and sound.

This publication, curated by Germano Celant, has been prepared on the occasion of Sam Taylor‑Wood's exhibition at the Fondazione Prada in Milan. 19 November 1998 — 6 January 1999.