Homage to Bruce

Toby Huddlestone creates work ranging from sculpture and installation, to film and text-based pieces. Through his diverse practise, Toby investigates the importance and hierarchy of the art world. Using humour and intuition, he experiments with a variety of media to explore these themes. Homage to Bruce, continues to investigate these ideas. Using a familiar-seeming neon sign, he explores the interpretative spaces which occur between educated art-goer and casual gallery visitor.

My practice encompasses a wide range of media with the medium used being informed and directed by the idea driving it. I produce text-based work, sculpture, installation, intervention, film, video, performance and documentation. Through much of my work I intend to question and investigate importance and hierarchy with the art world through humour and intuition. Much of my work focuses on this and institutional critique is a continuing theme through much of my individual practice and curatorial work.
‘Homage to Bruce’ is a work that operates on two very distinct levels. At its very basic level it is a familiar looking neon sign hinting at an urgent action or motion. Now Man as in ‘do it now, man.’ Of course, for anyone who knows who Bruce Nauman is, Now Man becomes a more obvious pun and a homage to the seminal artist who used neon in a similar way in so many of his earlier works. It is a parody of Nauman’s work. This hierarchal boundary between the educated art goer and the uneducated gallery visitor is vast and forms a point of investigation for me, the author of the artwork. Toby Huddlestone
Toby Huddlesone completed his MA of Fine Art at the University of West England in 2007. He is currently based in Bristol and exhibits across the UK and internationally.

*In 2009 the In Focus space changed its name to Test Bed.

Supporting new and experimental work by artists based in Wales and the Borders.