12/09/2001
by Luisa Chiavacci

One of the YBA’s (Young British Artists), Mat Collishaw, rose to fame in the 1990’s after his work Bullet Hole was shown as part of Freeze, the much talked about exhibition curated by Damien Hirst in 1988. Bullet Hole - shown in the Sensation exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London in 1997, (showpiecing the Charles Saatchi collection), the Hamburger Banhof, Berlin in 1998 and the Brooklyn Art Museum in 1999 - consists of a grid of fifteen lightboxes illuminating a close-up photograph of a gunshot wound. His choice of subject, in combination with an often contrasting method of representation, has become very much his trademark and what collectors would regard as a typical "Collishaw". However, unlike other members of the YBA’s who use similar methods of appropriation, his works haven’t as yet caught on at auction, and when sold, have always reached just above or within mid estimates.

His first auction appearance was made in Sotheby’s contemporary sales, London in 1999. Infectious Flowers – metastases from a malignant melanoma, a colour transparency with lightbox, sized 50 x 50 x 10 cm from 1996, sold for $ 6,782 (€ 7,480) after an estimate of $ 4,000-5,500 (€ 4,410-6,070). In June another multiple with a lightbox and colour transparency, measuring the same size, from 1997, entitled Infectious flowers 2 – zoster of supravicular dermatones, reached $ 6,953 at Sotheby’s, London (contemporary sale, part 2). It was a confident start. However it is worth noting that perhaps after Bullet Hole (from a series dating from 1990), showing digitally manipulated images of exotic flowers, (the petals of which have extreme skin disorders), these are his most publicly recognised works. Three days later at Christie’s, London, a 1994 C-print entitled Nature Morte, sized 78.2 x 55.6 cm, depicting fastfood detritus fashioned as a Victorian still-life, sold for $ 3,293 (€ 3,630) after an estimate of $ 2,500-3000 (€ 2,760-3,310). This photograph is unique and is reproduced on the cover of his monography, published to co-inside with his solo show at the Lisson gallery in 1997: thus explaining it’s selling price.

In November 1999, a colour photograph in metal lightbox, from 1997, entitled Ideal Boys (Salvatore), sold for $ 5,750 (€ 6,340) and a 1994 colour photograph, Untitled, sized 30.5 x 40.6 cm, sold for $ 2,760 (€ 3,040), both within estimates. They were auctioned at Christie’s, New York and marked his first appearance in US salerooms. In December 1999 Christie’s, London offered two works. The first was another colour photograph with metal light box, from the Ideal Boys series, entitled John Luca and Paco from 1997 which, after an estimate of $ 6,500-9,500 (€ 7,170-10,480), sold again within its estimate for $ 8,409 (€ 9,275) and a unique handcoloured photograph from 1995, sized 19 x 27 cm, entitled Catching Fairies, sold for $ 8,596 (€ 9,480) after the estimate of $ 3,250-4,500 (€ 3,580-4,960). Since 1999 only four more works have gone to auction, three lightboxes from the "Infectious Flowers" series which were bought-in and a colour transparency lightbox entitled Doorway from 1997 with sold for $ 3,184 (€ 3,500), within its estimate, at the June contemporary sales at Christie’s, London in 2000.

Despite his consistently average auction performances, his appearances in galleries, museums and corporate collections around the world are significant when speculating future prices. In the last ten years he has had solo shows with Karsten Schubert, London in 1990 and 1995, with Tanya Bonakdar, New York in 1996-1998 and 2001, with Analix forever, Geneva in 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1999, with Gallerie Raucci/Santamaria, Naples in 1993, 1997 and 2001, with the Lisson gallery, London in 1997 and most recently, with Modern Art Inc., London in 2001. Group exhibitions include Aperto at the 1993 Venice Biennale, Brilliant at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis in 1996, the 1995 Istanbul Biennale and Sensation in 1997. His presence in the British artworld is strong with public institutions such as the Tate Modern, London, Southampton Art Museum and the Whitworth Gallery, Leeds acquiring works for their permanent collections. He has photographed a Vivienne Westwood advertising campaign and recently lectured for the British Council, alongside his girlfriend Tracey Emin at the Palace of Arts, Cairo Opera House. These achievements alone justify confidence in his market.