Art, Receipts and Rubbish

Tate Modern is set to spend thousands of pounds on a white till receipt for its art collection. The work is by Ceal Floyer, 38, who made headlines for exhibiting a black bin bag containing what looked like rubbish but was full of air. The bag was exhibited in Coventry and had to be labelled every evening to stop cleaners throwing it out. Tate Modern is now reported to be paying £30,000 for Untitled: White Till Receipt, which is a receipt for some kitchen equipment. But the art gallery is denying the price, saying it is expected to be less than half that figure. The work has been approved for purchase by Tate Modern's board. Floyer recently displayed another similar work, Monochrome Till Receipt - White. The items on the receipt - flour, sugar, ricotta cheese - were put together because they were all white. The Lisson Art Gallery of London which represents Floyer, says that for the artist "language itself is utilised as a material, intangible yet integral to the work of art." Floyer graduated from Goldsmiths' Art College in 1994 and has exhibited extensively around the world. For the full story - click the title Irish Art