Charlotte Warne Thomas

Moneyshot
2008
Gold leaf on metal ceiling architecture
variable (this version 27 x 23.5 x 755cm)

How long have you had a studio at APT?
2.5 years

Which female artists inspired you growing up?
As a teenager, discovering the paintings of Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt lead me to read Griselda Pollock and Linda Nochlin, and I realised that art history had been dominated by men not because they are superior artists, but because of the historical repression of women in western cultures. I sought out women artists who articulated this feminist position, and discovering the work of Louise Bourgeois, Hannah Höch, Cindy Sherman, Mary Kelly and Jo Spence inspired me to go to art school.

What is the most important piece of advice you have been given?
Something along the lines of 'never justify your art'. 

Why did you choose this piece of work today?
Moneyshot was a work I made during my MFA at Goldsmiths. It was something of a turning point for me, as I felt it articulated well my interest in how hidden structures of control (in this case the rigid architecture of the I-beam, literally holding up the ceiling) obfuscate their own existence, echoing the structural inequalities that restrict how we live our everyday lives. I was already enamoured by the use of gold, its compelling shiny surface and invitation to multiple complex interpretations, and in this work I specifically used the hand-made gilding process, as I was keen to preserve some sense of visibility of the artist's labour (looking closely, it was possible to see the layers of gold leaf, and imagine the work it would have taken apply it by hand over countless hours). The title alludes to the cum-shot of a pornography film, offering a feminist critique of the act of 'gilding' something mundane - financialising, or aestheticizing the restrictive structures that surround and exploit us.