One of Rachel Whiteread?s so-called shy sculptures, ‘Cabin’ (2016), on Governors Island in New York, her first major permanent public commission in the United States
Rachel Whiteread, winner of the 2019 Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon award, has illuminated the world?s art scene with her blazing originality, her wit and her unique perspectives, for more than 30 years. She speaks to Darius Sanai about creating something out of nothing, the joys of London, and the importance of being bored
Rachel Whiteread in her studio, 2011
LUX: Your works create something from nothing. Is it a kind of anti-matter that you are creating"

Rachel Whiteread: That?s exactly right. I?ve always tried to make something out of nothing.

Something I used to do at college a lot was just stare at a white wall or a floor and visualise what I?d want to make from that space. I?d see what it was, so it was still something but it was out of nothing. It?s still a practice that I do, I suppose like a meditation, but I didn?t ever call it that. It was just, you know, staring at the wall. There?s probably not enough staring into space done now. Everything?s always about looking at images, like on Instagram. Everything is just so full up that what I try and do is empty out. You wouldn?t think it from the chaos of my studio, though.
Follow LUX on Instagram: the.official.lux.magazine
LUX: Is there just too much social media around now"

Rachel Whiteread: Yes, I think so. People don?t know how t...