Gavin Turk's work often deals with issues of authorship, authenticity and originality.
He was denied an MA certificate from the Royal College of Art for presenting at his degree show, an English Heritage plaque bearing the inscription 'Borough of Kensington Gavin Turk Sculptor Worked Here 1989-1991' in an otherwise empty studio space. He has subsequently made work which questions the idea and integrity of a consistent artistic persona. He has paraphrased already well-known works of art from the recent past examining the idea of genius, the concept of the signature, style and what constitutes a marketable identity.