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Fiona Banner (born 1966), also known as The Vanity Press is a British artist. Her work encompasses sculpture, drawing, installation and text, and demonstrates a long-standing fascination with the emblem of fighter aircraft and their role within culture and especially as presented on film. She is well known for her early works in the form of 'wordscapes', written transcriptions of the frame-by-frame action in Hollywood war films, including Top Gun and Apocalypse Now. Her work has been exhibited in prominent international venues such as the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...
, New York and Hayward Gallery, London. Banner was shortlisted for the Turner Prize in 2002.


Life

Fiona Banner was born on Merseyside, North West England in 1966. She studied at Kingston University and completed her MA at
Goldsmiths College of Art Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
in 1993. The next year she held her first solo exhibition at
City Racing City Racing was a squatted artist-run space in Oval Mansions, Kennington, South London which was active between 1988 and 1998. It was a cooperative by five artists Matt Hale, Paul Noble, John Burgess, Keith Coventry and Peter Owen. They s ...
.Stonard, John-Paul
"Fiona Banner"
Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...
from text of Grove Art Online, 10 December 2000. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
Since graduating from Goldsmiths College of Art, Banner has continued to evolve an important, considered and interrelated practice, rooted in language. Publishing, in the broadest sense, is central to her practice. In 1995, she was included in ''General Release: Young British Artists'' held at the XLVI
Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...
. Since 1994 Banner has created handwritten and printed texts - 'wordscapes' - that retell in her own words entire feature films, including '' Point Break'' (1991) and ''The Desert'' (1994), or particular scenarios in detail. Her work took the form of solid single blocks of text, often the same shape and size as a cinema screen. She also investigates the formal components of written language, giving significance to the symbols that punctuate sentences. In 1997, when she published ''THE NAM'', she started working under the imprint of ''The Vanity Press'', and has since published an extensive archive of books, objects and performances, many questioning the notion of authorship and copyright. For Banner, the act of publishing is itself a performative one. Consequently, her work resits traditional notions of grandeur and exclusivity, instead deploying a pseudo formality that is playful and provocative. ''THE NAM'' is a 1,000-page book which describes the plots of six Vietnam films in their entirety: the films are '' Apocalypse Now'', '' Born on the Fourth of July'', '' The Deer Hunter'', '' Full Metal Jacket'', '' Hamburger Hill'' and ''
Platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, secur ...
''. Following her shows at the , and Dundee Contemporary Arts, Banner was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2002. Since early 2000, Banner has been working with pornographic film as a basis for an exploration of our obsession with sex, and the extreme limits of written communication. In large, densely filled works she transcribe the varied sexual activities taking place in ''Asswoman in Wonderland'', starring Tiffany Minx, who also directed this X-rated version of Alice's fictional adventures. Banner's own ''Arsewoman in Wonderland'' (2001), presented in the Turner Prize exhibition, is a 4 x 6 m printed description of the film pasted and layered sheet after sheet onto the wall like and overladen billboard. 'I wanted to make some work about sex but I couldn't describe it. I was too close to it and I did not have the words that close to hand. I looked again at ports as a way of investigating my own taboo. Just as with the war films I enjoyed it but found it hard to grasp; it was intimate yet distant, seductive yet sometimes repulsive. My response to the film was very emotional.' ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' asked, "It's art. But is it porn?" calling in "Britain's biggest porn star", Ben Dover, to comment.Brockes, Emm
"It's art. But is it porn?"
''The Guardian'' online, 5 November 2002. Retrieved 21 May 2007.
The prize was won that year by Lancastrian artist Keith Tyson. In 2009 she issued herself an
International Standard Book Number The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition and ...
and registered herself as a publication under her own name. In 2010, she was selected to create the 10th Duveen Hall commission at Tate Britain for which she transformed and displayed two decommissioned
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
fighter jets. On 1 October 2010, in an open letter to the British government's culture secretary
Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Richard Streynsham Hunt (born 1 November 1966) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since 14 October 2022. He previously served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport ...
—co-signed by a further 27 previous Turner prize nominees, and 19 winners—Banner opposed any future cuts in public funding for the arts. In the letter the cosignatories described the arts in Britain as a "remarkable and fertile landscape of culture and creativity." Banner’s work includes sculpture, drawing and installation; text is the core of her oeuvre. She is one of the "key names",Grant, Simon
"Cultural propganda?"[sic
/nowiki>">ic">"Cultural propganda?"[sic
/nowiki>, ''Apollo (magazine)">Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
'', 27 March 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2010. along with Jake and Dinos Chapman, Gary Hume, Sam Taylor-Wood, Tacita Dean and Douglas Gordon, of the Young British Artists.


Other works

- Onyx, Bookman, Courier 2018 Full stop inflatables (Installation Breeder, Athens) - SS19 The Walk (and Buoys Boys) 2018 High definition digital film (Installation Breeder, Athens) - SS19 The Walk 2018 Performed at DRAFx: An Evening of Performances (o2 Kentish Town Forum, London) - Buoys Boys 2016, Full Stop inflatables, Sculptural performance ( De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-sea) - Buoys Boys 2016, High definition digital film - STAMP OUT PHOTOGRAPHIE 2014 (V-A-C collection
Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the f ...
, London) - 1066 2012 Wall projection ( Turner Contemporary, England) - The Exquisite Corpse Will Drink the Young Wine 2012 Musical Performance / Screening (The Welsh Congregational Chapel, Borough, London) - Performance Nude 2010 Performance with David Salas (Claire de Rouen /
Other Criteria Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
Book Launch, London) - Mirror 2007 Performance with Samantha Morton (
Whitechapel Gallery The Whitechapel Gallery is a public art gallery in Whitechapel on the north side of Whitechapel High Street, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The original building, designed by Charles Harrison Townsend, opened in 1901 as one of the f ...
, London)


Exhibitions

1994 - Pushing Back The Edge Of The Envelope,
City Racing City Racing was a squatted artist-run space in Oval Mansions, Kennington, South London which was active between 1988 and 1998. It was a cooperative by five artists Matt Hale, Paul Noble, John Burgess, Keith Coventry and Peter Owen. They s ...
, London 1995 - Viewing Room, Luhring Augustine Gallery, New York 1997 - The Nam - 1000 page all text flick book, London - Only the Lonely, Frith Street Gallery, London 1998 - Art Now, Tate Britain, London - LOVE DOUBLE, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin 1999 - Statements, Basel Art Fair - ASTERISK, Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst, Bremen - Don't Look Back, Brooke Alexander, New York - THE NAM and Related Material, Printed Matter, New York - STOP, Frith Street Gallery, London 2000 -Soixante-Neuf, Charles H Scott Gallery, Emily Carr Institute, Vancouver 2001 - ARSEWOMAN,
Murray Guy Murray Guy was a contemporary art gallery specializing in emerging and mid-career contemporary artists. Founded by Margaret Murray and Janice Guy in 1998, the gallery was located in the Chelsea, Manhattan gallery district at 453 West 17th Street ...
, New York - ARSEWOMAN, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin - Rainbow, 24/7, Hayward Gallery, London 2002 - My Plinth is Your Lap, Neuer Aachener Kunstverein, Aachen - My Plinth is Your Lap, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee 2003 - Fiona Banner,
1301PE 1301PE is a gallery in Los Angeles founded by Brian D. Butler in 1992. Brain Multiples Butler began Brain Multiples in 1991 to finance, edit, publish and distribute artists’ editions. Rather than representing artists, Butler collaborated with ...
, Los Angeles, CA 2006 - Arsenal, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin - Arsewoman in Wonderland, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin 2007 - Peace On Earth, Tate Britain, London   - Every Word Unmade, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin - The Bastard Word, Power Plant, Toronto 2010 - The Naked Ear,
Frith Street Gallery Frith Street is in the Soho area of London. To the north is Soho Square and to the south is Shaftesbury Avenue. The street crosses Old Compton Street, Bateman Street and Romilly Street. History Frith Street was laid out in the late 1670s an ...
, London -
Harrier Harrier may refer to: Animals * Harrier (bird), several species of birds * Harrier (dog) Media * Harrier Comics, a defunct British publisher * Space Harrier, a video game series Military * Harrier jump jet, an overview of the Harrier family: ...
and Jaguar, Tate Britain Duveens Commission 2010, Tate Britain, London - Tornado, Co-commission by Locus+ and Great North Run Culture, 2010, Newcastle - All the World's Fighter Planes, Musée d'art de Joliette, Québec 2011 - Snoopy Vs The Red Baron, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin 2012 - Unboxing, The Greatest Film Never Made,
1301PE 1301PE is a gallery in Los Angeles founded by Brian D. Butler in 1992. Brain Multiples Butler began Brain Multiples in 1991 to finance, edit, publish and distribute artists’ editions. Rather than representing artists, Butler collaborated with ...
, Los Angeles 2013 - The Vanity Press,
Summerhall Summerhall is an arts complex and events venue in Edinburgh, Scotland. Formerly home to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies of the University of Edinburgh, it is now a major Edinburgh Festival Fringe visual and performing arts venue. ...
, Edinburgh (Catalogue) 2014 - Wp Wp Wp, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield - Mistah Kurtz, He Not Dead, PEER, London 2015 - Scroll Down And Keep Scrolling, Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK - FONT,
Frith Street Gallery Frith Street is in the Soho area of London. To the north is Soho Square and to the south is Shaftesbury Avenue. The street crosses Old Compton Street, Bateman Street and Romilly Street. History Frith Street was laid out in the late 1670s an ...
, London 2016 - Au Cœur des Ténèbres, mfc-Michele Didier, Paris, France - Buoys Boys, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, UK - Fiona Banner, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin - Scroll Down And Keep Scrolling,
Kunsthalle Nürnberg The Kunsthalle Nürnberg is an art centre founded in 1967, near the city centre. It organizes exhibitions by contemporary international artists in its galleries in Nuremberg. The Kunsthalle commissions new work by a majority of the artists it w ...
, Germany - Fiona Banner,
1301PE 1301PE is a gallery in Los Angeles founded by Brian D. Butler in 1992. Brain Multiples Butler began Brain Multiples in 1991 to finance, edit, publish and distribute artists’ editions. Rather than representing artists, Butler collaborated with ...
, Los Angeles - Study #13. Every Word Unmade, Fiona Banner, David Roberts Art Foundation, London 2017 - Runway AW17, De Pont Museum, Tilburg, Netherlands 2018 - Buoys Boys, Mission Gallery, Swansea, Wales 2019 - Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press, Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, Canada - Fiona Banner aka The Vanity Press, Independent Art Fair, Barbara Thumm Gallery, New York, USA - Full Sea Stop Scape, Barbara Thumm Gallery, Berlin, Germany 2020 - PERIOD,
Museum Voorlinden Museum Voorlinden () is an art museum in Wassenaar in the Netherlands. It was founded and is privately owned by Joop van Caldenborgh. It was opened on 10 September 2016 by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Al ...
, Netherlands 2021 - Pranayama Typhoon, Barakat Contemporary, Seoul, Korea


References


External links


Fiona Banner
– Fiona Banner's own website with some artworks, texts and exhibition news


The Body Of The Text
– Fiona Banner article in ''Art in America''
Fiona Banner Profile on BBC site

Interview with Fiona Banner



Fiona Banner at De Pont museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banner, Fiona 1966 births Living people 20th-century English women artists 21st-century English women artists Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of Kingston University English contemporary artists English installation artists English sculptors English women sculptors Young British Artists