Making art out of old computers - Pontefract artist wins place in prestigious international competition

An amateur artist from Pontefract  has been selected to enter a piece of his work into one of the most dynamic art competitions in the world.
tek citi by Pontefract artist Marcus Tudge aka The Architecttek citi by Pontefract artist Marcus Tudge aka The Architect
tek citi by Pontefract artist Marcus Tudge aka The Architect

The Biennale Chianciano 2022 Art Competition is held in Tuscany, Italy and unites the best of established and emerging artists in the world of contemporary art.

Marcus Tudge, 53, who is a paraplanner with independent financial advisers Chase de Vere, has never entered an art competition before and never pursued art beyond his ‘O’ level exam.

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His work is bow being exhibited at the Chianciano Art Museum from Saturday August 6 to Sunday August 28.

Marcus TudgeMarcus Tudge
Marcus Tudge

Marcus will be attending the exhibition on the opening night but unfortunately his wife Sally and their two daughters will not be able to join him as their passports have run out.

He added: "At the start of the year, I was under orders to get things tidy in my garage.

"I had accumulated. so much old computer tech.

"I decided to decorate the living room and being a true Yorkshireman, instead of purchasing some wall art for the house, I decided to create my very first sculpture piece from those computer parts.

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"I thought I would do my bit for the planet and recycle the components and not just send them to landfill."

Marcus called his piece ‘tek citi’ using the pseudonym The Architect. He said: "I chose that name because not only did I have to build it, I had to design it.

" I was aware of the competition in Italy, but forgot about the closing date.

"Then one evening something made me go and check the deadline submission. The closing date was that evening and I had almost missed it.

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“To my amazement I found out I was selected, and I was one of only 150 artists from around the world."

The first prize is 2,500 euro and five artists will be automatically approved/selected to participate in the London Art Biennale 2023.

Marcus added: “Winning first prize would be great, but I am just glad I have created something that people like.

"It also did make the living room wall, just for a brief moment.”

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