BANK (art collective)

BANK was an artists’ group active in London during the 1990s. Their most significant contribution to UK contemporary art was a series of curated group shows, often with comical, and sometimes offensive, titles. As a group they adopted an aggressive stance towards the mainstream contemporary art scene of the time.

John Russell and Simon Bedwell founded the group in 1991. Dino Demosthenous was also a member at this time, but left in 1992. In 1993 Russell and Bedwell were joined by Milly Thompson, David Burrows and Andrew Williamson. Burrows left the group in 1995, Williamson in 1998, Russell in 2000. When Gallerie Poo Poo closed after the three-day show Press Release in January 1999, BANK begun to exhibit their collective work in other venues: The Mayor Gallery, London, Magasin 4, Bregenz, Rupert Goldsworthy Gallery, New York, Anthony Wilkinson Gallery, London, Chapman FineARTS, London, Suburban, Chicago, and finally the inaugural show at Store, London, after which Milly Thompson and Simon Bedwell began to work separately as artists whilst managing the BANK archive.

The approximately twenty shows curated by BANK included the work of the BANK artists alongside the work of several future Turner Prize nominees and winners. Although the BANK exhibitions were mostly held in warehouse spaces on Curtain Road, then Underwood Street (both Shoreditch, London) the name of the gallery changed. Initially it was BANKSPACE, then DOG, and finally Gallerie Poo-Poo. The various artworks were combined together as single sprawling installations.

BANK also published a satirical magazine delivering tabloid-style critiques of the art world. Headlines included, "AD MAN YOU’RE A BAD MAN," and, "GALLERIES ‘ALL OWNED BY RICH PEOPLE’ SHOCK." [ [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_10_90/ai_92352645/pg_4 "Art in America", October, 2003.] ] Other "frankly adolescent" headlines were "GILLIAN WEARING THIN", "SIMON PATTERSON - EIGHT YEARS ONE IDEA!" and "SAM TAYLOR WOULD - NOT DO ANY MORE ART USING OPERA!" [Matthew Collings, "Art Crazy Nation", 21 Publishing Ltd., 2001, pp36-37. ISBN 1901785084]

Matthew Collings states that many of the works of BANK were based on John Russell's input, but goes on to say that, "If you agree to to subsume your personal identity within a collective...then you can't really complain if once you've left the collective, no one talks about your individual contribution."

Julian Stallabrass describes BANK’s activity as “the parodic creation of corporate identity at the centre of which (as their name suggests) is a noisy and constant reference to that matter of which the art world usually whispers: money.” [Julian Stallabrass, "High Art Lite: British Art in the Nineties", Verso, 1999. pp69-70. ISBN 1859843182 ] They had, according to Matthew Collings, a "surly, self-destructive, self-conscious, introspective attitude - combined...with critical intelligence and a flair for spotting weaknesses in the art system".Matthew Collings, "Art Crazy Nation", 21 Publishing Ltd., 2001, pp95. ISBN 1901785084]

Notable exhibitions

*WISH YOU WERE HERE (curated by BANK at BANKSPACE, 1994)Artists: Simon Bedwell, Sonia Boyce, David Burrows, The Cabinet Gallery, Lucy Gunning, Anne Lislegaard, Matt Mitchell, Ian Pratt, John Russell, Bob and Roberta Smith, Milly Thompson, Andrew Williamson.

*COCAINE ORGASM (curated by BANK at BANKSPACE, 1995)Artists: Tim Allen, Liz Arnold, BANK, Lolly Batty, Dave Beech, Simon Bill, John Cussans and Ranu Mukhergee, Stephen Glynn, Gerard Hemsworth, Simon Martin and Anna Mossman, Soren Martinsen, Muntean and Rosenblum, Chris Ofili, Janette Parris, John Stezaker, Michael Stubbs, Jessicca Voorsanger, Rebecca Warren, Max Wigram, Andrew Williamson.

*ZOMBIE GOLF (curated by BANK at BANKSPACE, 1995)Artists: BANK, Dave Beech, Adam Chodzko, Maria Cook, Martin Creed, Peter Doig, Matthew Higgs, Sivan Lewin, John Stezaker.

*DOG-U-MENTAL VIII!!! (curated by BANK at DOG, 1996)Artists: Terry Atkinson, BANK, Dave Beech, David Burrows, Carina Diepens, Keith Farquhar, Rebecca Howard, Michael Kay, Graham Ramsay, Fergal Stapleton, John Stezaker, Milly Thompson, Rebecca Warren,Wayne Winner.

*WINKLE THE POT BELLIED PIG AND HIS WOODLAND CHUMS (curated by BANK at Gallerie Poo-Poo, 1997)Artists: BANK, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Minimal Club, John Cussans & Ranu Mukhergee, Michelle Griffiths, Russell Haswell.
*STOP SHORT-CHANGING US. POPULAR CULTURE IS FOR IDIOTS. WE BELIEVE IN ART! (Gallerie Poo Poo, 1998)

*PRESS RELEASE (Gallerie Poo-Poo, 1999)Artists: BANK

After 1999

BANK was part of the "Protest to Survive" exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 2000.

In 2002 BANK (Simon Bedwell and Milly Thompson) received the Paul Hamlyn Award for Visual Arts. Former member David Burrows received the award in the same year. [ [http://www.phf.org.uk/news.asp?id=133 Paul Hamlyn Award website] ]

References

External links

* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1248/is_2_87/ai_53868185 "Art in America" review of BANK at Gallerie Poo-Poo, February, 1999]
* [http://www.thecentreofattention.org/dgbank.html BANK timeline]