Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

Girls, Tricky

A work made of digital video (projection), color, sound, 14 min. 47 sec..
© 2001 Steve McQueen

Image actions

  • A work made of digital video (projection), color, sound, 14 min. 47 sec..

Date:

2001

Artist:

Steve McQueen
English, born 1969

About this artwork

Steve McQueen creates reductive, often abstracted works, in which he pares down the projected image to its basic elements: light and dark, motion and stillness, silence and sound. His improvisational approach is often defined by the handheld camera, distilled but coded actions, gestures, performative expressions, and restrained postproduction editing.

In Girls, Tricky, McQueen portrayed the London-based experimental “trip-hop” musician and producer Tricky (born Adrian Thaws) as he rehearses a track in his dimly lit recording studio. Four days spent together in this confined space resulted in an intimate and sensitive representation of the singer. Of this experience, McQueen recalled:

“I wanted to get as close to the artist as possible. He has this certain je ne sais quoi, like Marlon Brando or James Dean. Tricky possesses a certain spontaneity, which also influenced the film. Tricky is someone who entrusts himself to his own voice and tries to find out where it may carry him. It’s a rare moment that you see an artist close up gearing himself up for a vocal performance in such a visual way. In effect, a moment not for camera is caught.”

Indeed, Tricky erupts into an ecstatic, frenzied performance over the course of nearly 15 minutes, yet by the end, it becomes clear that he has maintained command of both his senses and the recording session. Using extreme close-ups, very few cuts, and deliberately restricted lighting, McQueen captured the raw creative act in an intensely concentrated portrait, which is at once elusive, elliptical, and subtly transgressive.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Steve McQueen

Title

Girls, Tricky

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 2001

Medium

Digital video (projection), color, sound, 14 min. 47 sec.

Edition

3 of 4, plus 1 artist's proof

Credit Line

Wilson L. Mead Fund; through prior gift of Lucille L. and Joseph L. Block; Curator's, Cyrus Hall McCormick, and Arabella Decker funds; Claire and Gordon Prussian Fund for Contemporary Art

Reference Number

2006.15

Copyright

© 2001 Steve McQueen

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share