Wearing
Platforms in Istanbul (Title MR, Text JM)
‘Wearing Platforms in Istanbul’ imagines a
world identical to this one, save for one detail: shares in living artists are
traded on the stock exchange. In this fictional
present, financial market specialist Clement O’Frey specialises in trading
shares in high end conceptual artists from the UK. His adeptness in cutting a deal has secured a
mercurial rise from near poverty to a very comfortable London life within 10
years. However, things go cataclysmically wrong when he bets his entire fortune
on the video artist Gillian Wearing.
Expecting her shares to soar to new heights in Turkey, O’Frey’s world
falls apart when they bottom out in what the stock-market world terms a “platform”. O’Fray loses everything, and the bulk of
this novel chronicles his dissent into mental breakdown. After a gruelling
passage through London’s mental healthcare facilities, he achieves a very
distinctive spiritual awakening courtesy of his son’s toy sparrow. He finds new
happiness as a media guru. A truly
uplifting piece of fiction.
“If you want to learn something about the
market for contemporary British art, as well as contemplate vast vistas – buy this
book!” (Matthew Collings).
No comments:
Post a Comment