Brass in pocket (sic), can easily wear a hole in clothing - but beyond this minor irritant - or in the case of Gavin Turk's 48cm solid cast bronze, 2 pence piece "Heads!," a yarn-ripping, major irritant.

Beyond its value as a day-to-day fiduciary ingot we pay little heed to other values of coinage, as works of art, as representations & symbols of society. Over decades artists have exchanged their work for cash, goods and services. That said, rarely does an artist's work inherently contain the conflict between the makers aesthetic, and the political authority of the Sovereign and symbols of the State within which they work. It does in the art of money.

Artists who have confronted this dilemma include, Christopher Ironside, father of the agony aunt, Virginia, was the artist and sculptor commissioned by the Royal Mint to design the first decimal coinage. Later, with the introduction of the 2 pence, the Mint commissioned Ironside's friend and professional colleague, William Gardiner to design a 2 pence piece. That coin has over time developed and been reworked - a new (and older) head for the Queen designed and engraved by Ian Rank-Broadley. Rank-Broadley, whose initials "IRB" (yes, take a new one out and look at it) appear on the coin under the Queen's neck, was the first sculptor to sign a coin of the realm.

Gavin Turk with his brilliant free hand rendition draws attention to the challenges confronted by this group of artists. Turk causes us to think about the dilemma between the economic, the aesthetic & the State. We question whether it is the quality of the work or whether it is the symbols of the State depicted by the artist or the value of the art work itself that causes Society to mutually accept and ascribe a notional economic value to the image on the coin.

The coin thus becomes the quintessential distillation for an artist, of the State's power-relationship with Art & artists. The ultimate attribution and statement of non-value, brass value if you will, by the State as to the artists place in kulture, Art and artists.

Gavin Turk, resolves this economic and kultural under-value of Art by the State, through the exhibiting of his work in Galleries and selling his work for more than the State sell their versions.

Mark Stephens 2002