I’m not taking the piss. April 2017 was 100th anniversary of “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp. I was commissioned, to interpret Fountain in any way I wanted so I superimposed my social services files onto the modern day version of a toilet.
They were the central evidence in my court case against the government which I won in April 2018.They’ll feature in my autobiography due out on Canongate Books in 2019.
This artwork is called Mountain. I am writing this blog just to let you know that the auction for Mountain is on September 14th. All the details are in the poster below. Fifty percent of the funds from the sale will be going to Bowel Cancer Research.
Hey Lemn
Love this idea so much. I doubt my sealed bid will be enough, but I’ll make it anyway, in hope
Love the image of you carrying the work – if you decided to have some signed/limited edition prints … maybe they could add to the total raised?
Sure they’ll do incredibly well, good luck. You’re amazing.
Lynne x
Thanks Lynne
Wow,inspirational work of art cleverly crafted,featuring blood sweat & tears.Frustration of your years.
cheers
I can only imagine what this work means to you. Haven’t got enough blue beans to put a bid in but wish you well with this. Lx
thanks
Truly genius to name Fountain-inspired work – Mountain….which is what you clearly climbed while others took the piss! And thank you deeply for donating 50% to Bowel Cancer Charity – so much research needs to be funded in this area, one of the largest causes of modern worldwide premature mortality in adult men and women. Wish I could be there to watch the auction! All the very best!
Thankyou Samantha
As usual, Lemn, you turn excretal experiences into something beautiful. Literally. And artistically. I wish I had a million pounds to bid, at least… but whoever bids the highest sum on this item will own a piece of history. Lemnstory. The one about how shit eventually nourishes, even when the process stinks to high heaven, is about degradation and transformation. Through it all, the redoubtable Mr Sissay shines a light on what should not exist, and points us to a brighter future. Hooray for crappy art!
haha thanks
Hi Anna, thanks for your question. Part of the PhD project is to write an autofiction about leaving care and will include my experience. Briefly, leaving care was a huge disappointment. At 16, some of us are know-it-alls, I thought I could manage. Within a few months I weighed only six stone and was homeless. I will write a blog about the beginnings of leaving care; I say the beginnings because it is something that goes on for years. Do we ever really leave care? Lemn Sissay says care leaves us.
Hi Anna, thanks for your question. Part of the PhD project is to write an autofiction about leaving care and will include my experience. Briefly, leaving care was a huge disappointment. At 16, some of us are know-it-alls, I thought I could manage. Within a few months I weighed only six stone and was homeless. I will write a blog about the beginnings of leaving care; I say the beginnings because it is something that goes on for years. Do we ever really leave care? Lemn Sissay says care leaves us.
I didn’t leave care, care left me.