Mark Titchner

45 by 30 inches "Success is Assured" c-type photographic print 2008 Mark Titchner's sculptures, installations, light boxes and posters combine catchphrases and clichés from pop, advertising and utopian statements with lines from songs, political manifestos, philosophy and sociological theory. His works have a psychological intensity and exploit the tensions between surface and depth with a distinctive, electrifying graphic style. Often associated with channelling the energy of youth and with ideas of the avant-garde. The use of snatched slogans or fragments of text, divorced from their original contexts, is a central feature of Titchner's work. By combining words and images from diverse sources and styles, he strips away accepted meanings and purpose, challenging viewers to make their own judgements. For example, his work We Will Not Follow, We Will Not Lead mixes words from Nietzche with images by Andy Warhol and William Morris. Mark Titchner was nominated for The Turner prize in 2006 for his solo exhibition at Arnolfini, Bristol, in which his hybrid installations furthered his exploration into systems of belief. Working across a wide range of media, including light boxes and extraordinary hand-carved contraptions, his work continues to interweave a vast array of references from pop lyrics to philosophy. Born in Luton in 1973, Mark Titchner graduated from the Central St Martin's College of Art and Design in 1995. He has exhibited in: City Racing (A Partial History) at the ICA and Playing Amongst the Ruins at the Royal College of Art, both in 2001, The Galleries Show at the Royal Academy i2002 and the British Council touring exhibition Electric Earth in 2003. A solo exhibition, Be Angry But Don't Stop Breathing,as part of the Art Now series at Tate Britain 2003. How To Change Behaviour (Tiny Masters of the World Come Out), installation view, Turner Prize 2006 at Tate Britain. Ergo Ergot, installation view, Turner Prize 2006 at Tate Britain In 2007, Titchner's major new installation The Future Is Behind Us marked the launch of a new space in the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.