Gavin Turk studied at the Chelsea School of Art from 1986 to 1989 before continuing his studies at the Royal College of Art between 1989 and 1991. His postgraduate exhibition, 'Cave' (1991), marked a significant turning point in his career. The installation consisted of an otherwise empty, whitewashed studio containing a blue heritage-style plaque commemorating Turk's presence as a sculptor. By applying a form of public commemoration to himself, Turk questioned how artistic identity, status and reputation are constructed. Although the Royal College of Art refused to award him his postgraduate degree, the controversy surrounding the exhibition attracted considerable attention, including that of collector Charles Saatchi, and helped establish Turk's association with the Young British Artists ('YBAs'). Since then, his practice has explored the ways in which art gains cultural and economic value. Working across sculpture, painting, photography and printmaking, Turk employs techniques such as painted bronze and waxwork, alongside the appropriation of art-historical imagery and the transformation of discarded materials into artworks.