Now in its fifth year, Outset UK was delighted to announce that the 2022 The Robson Orr TenTen Award has been awarded to Rachel Whiteread DBE. Whiteread's Untitled (Bubble) reflects the microscopic form of COVID-19 itself and a time during the height of the pandemic when physical contact and communication became reduced to those within one’s ‘bubble’.
The print has been commissioned as part of a multi-year initiative produced by Outset with the Government Art Collection (GAC), and sponsored by leading philanthropists Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr. Every year a British artist is commissioned to create a unique, limited edition print to be shown in diplomatic buildings across the world. A small number are available for purchase through a collaboration with Outset to raise funds for the GAC acquisition fund. This scheme was launched in 2018 with the first four awards given to Hurvin Anderson (2018), Tacita Dean CBE (2019), Yinka Shonibare CBE (2020) and Lubaina Himid CBE (2021). Rachel Whiteread DBE said: 'The print Untitled (Bubble) is a culmination of thoughts since the beginning of the Covid pandemic in March 2020. Illustrating what was commonplace to the world’s population, the bringing together of friendships, family and love as well as grief and animosity; but ultimately all sharing a common purpose.' Untitled (Bubble) revisits the circular motifs the artist first used in a print commission for the London 2012 Summer Olympics, LOndOn 2O12, also in the Collection. Reminiscent of the marks left by glasses and cups after a party, Whiteread’s LOndOn 2O12 marks a moment of celebration and unification.
The circles in Untitled (Bubble), are by contrast, suggestive of the traces of an invisible virus. In denser areas of the print, where the viewer sees ‘a bubble within a bubble within a bubble’, as Whiteread describes, that original idea of celebration lingers. In the overlaps between bubbles, the viewer may be reminded of those ecstatic moments when reunited with loved ones.
Whiteread layers hues of monochrome ink to create a sense of fragility and delicacy to the composition, adding watercolour marks by hand to build up incredibly thin washes of colour. Untitled (Bubble) echoes Whiteread’s interest in how the fabric of our daily existence bears the accumulated traces of previous lives. Sybil Robson Orr and Matthew Orr said: ‘For the fifth iteration of the Robson Orr TenTen Award, we are delighted to support the production of Rachel Whiteread’s commission. Over the course of this project, an artist is selected annually by the Government Art Collection and its Advisory Committee and commissioned to create a new print edition that joins the Collection. Celebrating art by leading British artists, TenTen ensures that their work is represented and enjoyed by visitors and staff in British government buildings and embassies around the world. We extend our thanks to Outset who introduced us to the Government Art Collection and are a key part of this impactful journey. TenTen contributes towards the continuing development of the Government Art Collection, that plays such a vital role in promoting British art and culture globally.’
