Cornelia Parker, R.A.

Frith Street Gallery, London, where acquired by the present owner in January 2007

The sheet is sound and is undulating slightly. It appears to be adhered to the backboard in all four corners. The top and bottom edges are deckled and there is a vertical crease to the centre which is inherent to the work. Otherwise the work appears in excellent condition. Held under glass in a simple wood box frame; unexamined out of frame. Please telephone the department on 020 7293 5381 if you have any questions regarding the present work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

'I resurrect things that have been killed off... My work is all about the potential of materials - even when it looks like they've lost all possibilities...'
Cornelia Parker, in conversation with Deitch Projects, New York, March 1998.

Parker has become well known for her dynamic use of obsolete materials and in particular, for large-scale works such as Cold Dark Matter. An Exploded View (1991, Tate Collection, London) where she enlisted the help of the British Army to explode her own garden shed and then re-installed the fragments in a gallery space. As such, her intriguing processes have led to collaborations with unusual partners and the present work is no exception. Pornographic Drawing is from a series of Rorschach-like ink blots executed using ink made from dissolved pornographic video tapes, originally confiscated by H.M. Customs and Excise. Given the original function of the tapes, it is somewhat ironic that the resultant images have such a delicate and translucent quality although the shadowy abstract forms are suggestive of human body parts imbuing the works with an underlying sexual tension.