Biography of Rachel Whiteread
Leading contemporary sculptor and draughtsman Rachel Whiteread (born 1963 in Essex, UK) is one of the original YBAs or Young British Artists exhibited and collected by well-known patron Charles Saatchi. Alongside artists like Damien Hirst, Liam Gillick and Tracey Emin, Whiteread emerged from the London art scene of the late 80s with eerily poetic sculptures and casts that explore the concepts of space, memory and absence through the use of architecture and human proportion. After a breakout exhibition in the early 90s, Whiteread became the first female to be awarded the prestigious Turner Prize in 1993.
Situated at this intersection between of minimalism and conceptualism, the artist Rachel Whiteread is best known for her use of industrial materials such as plaster, rubber, and resin in the casting process. Works such as such as House, 1993 a concrete cast of an entire Victorian house exhibited on the location of the original structure, are emblematic of the artist and her exploration of domesticity through special relations. While more rare, the artist's works on paper have always been integral in providing a more mobile and personal counterpoint to the artist's hauntingly large-scale work.
