Mark Titchner

This artwork is part of Ways of Seeing, a partnership between Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture 2019 and the Government Art Collection. Ways of Seeing turns the borough into a gallery with 33 internationally renowned artists displayed in 28 unexpected locations.

Everything Beautiful Is Far Away by Mark Titchner could be a motivational message from a self-help guide or a glossy advertising poster. It grabs our attention but feels cryptic. The words invite us to think about transporting ourselves to an ideal place, real or imaginary. We’d all like to be somewhere else sometimes. 

Titchner is known for borrowing text from poetry, philosophy and pop songs, like a cultural magpie. In this work, he uses the title of a 1997 song by Grandaddy, a Californian indie band. The song is about an astronaut, stranded on another planet, thinking about what he has left behind on Earth. 

What happens when words and slogans from popular culture are taken out of context? What do these words mean to you?

Mark Titchner was born in Luton, Bedfordshire. He studied at Hertfordshire College of Art and Design and Central Saint Martins, London. He was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2006 and has exhibited his work widely. In 2014, his commissions for the Café Gallery in Southwark included work for its new site at Dilston Grove, featuring video, sound installation and wall drawings.

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