Born in 1969 in Bromley, Kent, lives and works in Lapland Finland.
John Court graduated from Camberwell School of Art, London in 1994 and from Norwich School of Art and Design in 1997 with a degree in Sculpture. He moved to Finland in 1997, and lives and works in Lapland, close to the Arctic Circle. His work has been exhibited in the UK, Scandinavia and Berlin, and his performances have captivated audiences worldwide at events such as Infr’Action Venezia in Venice Italy (2013) SpaceX Gallery Exeter in UK (2012) Guangzhou Live Art Festival in China, ANTI Contemporary Art Festival in Finland (both 2010), the Venice Biennale (2005) and the Liverpool Biennial (2004).
In this performance we will witness the artist bringing together other aspects of his interdisciplinary practice including sculpture and drawing. His performances can be seen as a way of marking time as we witness the artist pushing his body beyond exhaustion. Throughout the performance slight movements will provide the only sounds as the artist remains silent, void of engagement with the audience.�
Court will interweave personal experiences encountered throughout his life, from childhood to the present day. We will witness interactions with modified versions of familiar objects encountered throughout education such as desks, dictionaries, pencils and paper that will only function with support from the artist. Objects which relates to the difficulties he had throughout his education, leaving school unable to read or write. The physical endurance of the 8 hour day refers to his experience of manual labour, having worked on building sites in and around London for many years before being introduced to art. Elements of alienation and solitude in his work refers to the artists experience of living in rural Lapland, unable to speak, read or write the native language. This work offers an insight into the process Court endures in producing his work, some individual pieces taking up to 400 hours to complete.�
