Contemporary Art: Michael Craig-Martin

Michael Craig-Martin is a conceptual artist who creates simplistic animated illustrations featuring iconographic symbols. His drawings are also inspired by everyday things such as headphones, light bulbs, cutlery, and clothes pins. "I want my paintings to be simple enough to seem obvious but complex enough to provide a variety of avenues for imaginative and aesthetic play." His visual language is reminiscent of pop art and challenges the relationship between perceived ideas and reality & images + tangible objects.

Martin's work is now on display at the Gagosian in London - the showcase features his colorful iconographic sculptures crafted from powder-coated steel. The objects - consisting of a beachball, fork, ballpoint pen, etc - create spatial relationships through the usage + contrast of color.