Martin Creed: The Light

This essay examines Martin Creed's work through the lens of psychoanalytic theories of neurosis and hypochondria. It considers Creed's performances and installations, arguing that in both seriality functions as an armour or defence against the perceived threat of omnipotent mothers. The essay also thinks about questions of interiority – psychic, corporeal, aesthetic – and argues that, even at their most scatological, Creed's works can be seen as rites of purification, and as attempts to make things whole.