Untitled (Balloon)- Steel 240cm X 210cm

Untitled is a sculpture by Marcus Foster, whose practice encompasses not only object making, but also video and photography. “A lot of my work is about place and objects within landscapes. I’m interested in buildings and structures that seem very contained, composed and have a strange kind of distance. For example, Portmeirion in Wales, where the Prisoner TV series was filmed, has the type of architecture I’m describing. It combines familiar ideas with a sense of the futuristic, shifting them into the unknown. Untitled is a hot air balloon-like form, situated in the landscape of the gallery. Hot air balloons have a sense of occasion when you see them in real life, and I wanted to convey this in the sculpture. It’s made from steel and painted in an industrial tone, so it is also reminiscent of water towers or zeppelins, a bit more dark and war-like. For me, the work evokes a strange desire; its coldness is part of its attraction.”

2011, Newspeak: British Art Now, The Saatchi Gallery, London

Charles Saatchi permanent collection