Press Release: CIRCA Presents Douglas Gordon, if when why what
CIRCA PRESENTS IF WHEN WHY WHAT BY DOUGLAS GORDON
(London, Piccadilly Circus) 1 December, CIRCA 2022 ➳ CIRCA presents if when why what by celebrated Scottish artist Douglas Gordon. Peeping out over London’s West End, the never-before-seen work casts an eye on the iconic neon signs that came to define Soho’s historical relationship with the erotic.
Broadcasting every evening throughout December across a global network of screens in London, Seoul, New York, Melbourne, Milan, and Berlin, the commission is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Douglas Gordon: Neon Ark at Gagosian, Davies Street, London.
The Turner Prize-winning artist explains via text message: “Neon – it’s a gas – is the number 10 (of course) in the periodic table. Neon was not invented but ‘discovered’ and quickly became a byword or a symbol for the very essence of discovery. The thin glass tubes, buzzing with this new vibrant element inside, beckoned viewers to come on in, don’t be shy, take a chance, accept a dare and tell / don’t tell your friends… Discovered in London, by a Glaswegian at the turn of the 20th century, it seemed natural for me to fall in love with it – first seeing signs in black and white movies and later ‘the real thing’ on Dean Street, Old Compton Street and Piccadilly Circus. Run away from home to join the circus ?!?! Maybe some words read better in neon – maybe some people look better under neon, maybe some places…”
Published by CIRCA on the occasion of if when why what (2022), this series of four hand-signed silkscreen prints by Douglas Gordon brings together language, desire and memory through one of the artist’s most enduring fascinations: neon. Individually titled Cupid, Dolls, Stud and Queen, the works draw upon the visual culture of Soho’s historic nightlife, transforming familiar words into luminous symbols that hover between invitation, identity and fantasy.
For Gordon, neon is more than a medium. It is a language of attraction and discovery, a form of communication that has long animated city streets, cinemas, clubs and storefronts. Encountered first through black-and-white films and later amongst the glowing signs of Dean Street, Old Compton Street and Piccadilly Circus, neon became synonymous with possibility, curiosity and transformation. In these works, simple words are elevated into poetic gestures, their meanings shifting according to the viewer’s own experiences, desires and memories.
Released alongside Gordon’s month-long CIRCA commission, if when why what, the series extended a public artwork broadcast across London, Berlin, Melbourne, Milan, New York and Seoul. Presented in conjunction with Douglas Gordon: Neon Ark at Gagosian, the project transformed public screens into monuments to language itself, celebrating the cultural legacy of neon while exploring how words continue to shape identity, longing and human connection. Simultaneously playful and profound, Cupid, Dolls, Stud and Queen demonstrate Gordon’s ability to transform the everyday into something enigmatic, intimate and unforgettable.
NOTES TO EDITORS
SCREENING GLOBALLY
8 – 31 December, CIRCA 2022
- 20:22 BST – London, Piccadilly Lights
- 20:22 CET – Berlin, Limes, Kurfürstendamm
- 20:22 AEDT – Melbourne, Fed Square
- 20:22 UTC – Milan, Luxottica, Piazzale Cadorna
- 20:22 EST – New York, Luxottica, Times Square
- 20:22 KST – Seoul, COEX K-Pop Square
ABOUT DOUGLAS GORDON
Douglas Gordon was born in Glasgow in 1966. After receiving a B.A. at the Glasgow School of Art from 1984 to 1988, Gordon undertook a post-graduate program at the Slade School of Art in London from 1988 to 1990.
Gordon has had major international solo exhibitions, including the National Gallery of Scotland, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Washington D.C., Tate Liverpool, Tate Britain, Hayward Gallery, London, MOCA Los Angeles, MoMA, New York and ACCA, Melbourne, among many others. In 2005 he released the film Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait together with French artist Philippe Parreno and in 2015 directed the theatre performance Neck of the Woods starring Charlotte Rampling and Hélène Grimaud at the 2015 Manchester International Festival. Gagosian will open a solo exhibition with new neon works on November 23, 2022 in their Davies Street gallery.
His film works have been invited to the Festival de Cannes, Toronto International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Festival del Film Locarno, New York, among others.
Douglas Gordon won the Turner Prize in 1996 and currently lives and works in Berlin, Glasgow and Paris.
ABOUT CIRCA
CIRCA is a digital art and culture platform with purpose. Every evening at 20:22, we stop the clock across global media spaces and mobilise the world’s greatest creative minds to broadcast unique works of art that consider our world today, circa 2022.
Driven by purpose, funds generated from artist print sales enable the #CIRCAECONOMY – a circular model that supports the CIRCA free public art programme whilst also creating life-changing opportunities for a global creative community. Since launching in October 2020 on London’s iconic Piccadilly Lights, CIRCA has distributed over £500,000 in cash grants, scholarships and donations.
Previous CIRCA commissions include Ai Weiwei, Cauleen Smith, Eddie Peake, Anne Imhof, Patti Smith, Tony Cokes, Emma Talbot, Vivienne Westwood, Yoko Ono, Marina Abramović, James Barnor, David Hockney, Cassandra Press, Shirin Neshat, Douglas Gordon, and many more.
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