Fiona Banner is a British artist whose work explores the concepts of language and its innate limitations. By interpreting visual media such as film through the written word, she brings into focus explorations of conflict and the metaphorical. She is best known for her early works, which took the form of “wordscapes”. These were visual reproductions of action scenes from movies such as Top Gun and Apocalypse Now using blocks of text to describe the performance in the artist’s own words. She has since turned her attention to the art historical nude, describing the body’s form through words rather than a drawn manifestation, and the role of the fighter aircraft in our culture and its representation in film.
In 1997, Banner adopted the moniker The Vanity Press in accordance with her seminal book from that year, The Nam. With a deep interest in publishing, she issued herself an ISBN number in 2009 and registered as a publication under her own name. The Vanity Press has published books, objects, and performances, many showcasing the artist’s playful inclination. Her works have been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, New York and Heyward Gallery, London. In 2002, she was shortlisted for the Turner Prize.
