books > Artist in Residence
336pp original paperback
ISBN: 978-1908745576
£8.99
“I bloody loved it!”
Artist in Residence
by simon bill
A scabrous satire of the contemporary art world
In this mordantly dark satire, Simon Bill brings together two very disparate worlds; the endlessly fascinating and strangely implausible world of neuroscientific research and the equally strange, drug-fuelled and novelty-obsessed London contemporary art scene. Providing the link is Bill’s drunken anti-hero, an abstract artist down on his luck who lands a residency at a shiny new neurological research institute. Between an endless round of private views (attended to siphon the free booze and ingratiate himself with dealers) Bill’s hapless artist sets out to revive his stalled career, and love life, with a neuro-inspired art show. His new job might also help him cope with his own neurological deficits – a lousy sense of direction and alcoholic blackouts.
Artist in Residence will have you laughing out loud at the spotlight grabbing antics of aspiring artists and curators while fascinating you with insights into the workings of the human brain.
Simon Bill studied at the RCA and St Martin’s College and is closely associated with the YBA group of visual artists. He has had solo exhibitions in California, Cologne, London, Manchester and, most recently, a major retrospective at Baltic, Gateshead. Artist in Residence is his first work of fiction.
“Hilariously funny.”