“Long Live British Yoof!” 1
In May 1992, an article by the writer and lecturer Michael Corris appeared in Artforum.
Titled British? Young? Invisible? W/ Attitude?, the article began with the exclamation "Long
Live British Yoof!" A footnote followed such a proclamation, defining the "British Yoof" as
"a new generation of young British artists." According to the Tate, this was the first use of
the term Young British Artists in reference to the emerging group of predominantly London-based creatives whose work had been gaining traction since the late 1980s. Now more commonly referred to using the initialism YBAs, this loosely affiliated group rejuvenated British art through their exciting and often highly controversial projects.
Recognising this faction’s potential to reinvigorate the London art scene and the
importance of disseminating their message, Charles Booth-Clibborn invited eleven young
British artists to contribute to a portfolio which would be published under his imprint, the Paragon Press. Titled London, the portfolio contains prints by eleven YBA greats who were working out of the capital in the early 1990s, including Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn and Rachel Whiteread. With no aesthetic theme for the portfolio proposed, the artists were encouraged to submit whatever they wished, adhering only to the rules that the works must be two-dimensional and roughly the same size. The result is an exhilarating collection of prints which speak to a highly specific and pivotal moment in British art history, all while allowing the individual artists included to showcase their distinct visual languages. Intended to act as a portable exhibition, the project demonstrates how the YBAs recognised that printmaking could provide a more accessible way to spread their ethos and help further establish themselves at the forefront of the British art scene.
“Nineteen ninety-two was a defining year in the YBA generation’s evolution into the dominant grouping within British art” 2
Despite the lack of an enforced theme, relationships between the individual prints in
London are apparent. Damien Hirst’s Untitled – the first print he ever produced – is
comprised of photographic images of rocks that are organised in a grid against a salmon-pink background. While the structure of the print foreshadows the gridded compositions of
his later Spot Paintings, Hirst’s incorporation of the stones points to an interest in found
imagery, uniting him with Rachel Whiteread. Whiteread’s Mausoleum Under Construction –
also the artist’s first print – is derived from a photograph published in a book on American
Cemeteries, which the artist then appropriated. Similarly, Michael Landy playfully replicates the aesthetic of retail signs, using screenprinting to create COR! WHAT A BARGAIN! before hand-finishing each unique work with a black marker pen. Other loose themes in the portfolio include Marc Quinn's and Gavin Turk’s examinations of the body, while Dominic Denis and Angus Fairhurst focus on urban spaces. Attesting to the importance of this project in moulding their artistic practices, many of the YBAs have continued to return to printmaking as a medium throughout their careers.
