No. 3370

Martin Creed’s multidisciplinary practice finds poetry and humor in the ordinary. His body of work spans understated minimalist installations, loosely executed expressionist paintings and drawings, as well as neon texts that deliver dry, witty, or uplifting messages. Across performances, prints, films, and music, Creed consistently blurs the boundary between art and everyday life, turning simple actions and materials into conceptual statements.A defining example is his Turner Prize–winning Work No. 227: The lights going on and off (2000), which consists of an empty gallery where the lights switch on and off at five-second intervals—an elemental gesture that transforms perception and expectation. Many of his works incorporate commonplace materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic bags, Lego bricks, and balloons, reinforcing his focus on accessibility and immediacy. Creed titles his pieces numerically rather than descriptively, emphasizing neutrality and equality across his oeuvre.He has held solo exhibitions at major institutions including the Phoenix Art Museum, the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the National Gallery of Canada, and the Museo de Arte de Lima. His works regularly achieve six-figure prices at auction.