Art in Production - The Use of Technicians in Contemporary Art Making

Abstract

In July 2018, art technicians Simon Harlow and Simon Richardson were interviewed by Lindsay Johnstone for an article in The Independent newspaper that discussed the role of technicians in the contemporary art world. The men detailed how they viewed their participation in the production process of works by several artists, including two Turner Prize recipients, Lucy Skaer and Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. The article reiterated a major question about how involved assistants and technicians have become in contemporary art production and in what capacities. The 2018 Independent article was not an anomaly in contemporary art discourse. In 2012, Dan Glaister spoke with six different individuals who collaborated with well-known artists as assistants, technicians, fabricators, or in other similar craftsman capacities.