Sarah Lucas’s cheeky sculptures bring light relief at Tate Britain

It was a mad old night in London town yesterday with a wealth of art parties taking place across the capital including the private view for revered YBA Sarah Lucas at Tate Britain (Happy Gas, until 14 January 2024). “Using ordinary objects in unexpected ways, she has consistently challenged our understanding of sex, class and gender over the last four decades,” says the Tate website. Guests such as broadcaster Janet Street-Porter, Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant and artists Michael Landy and Richard Wright pondered on Lucas’s bold sculptures such as Cnut (2004) and Sandwich (2011-20). The piece that gets people talking almost instantly—located just by the exhibition entrance—is Wanker (1999) comprising a mechanical arm jerking up and down delightedly, powered by a crude motor (a stream of onlookers seemed totally preoccupied with the tugging yet transfixing limb). But there is plenty more to savour in the Lucas fest including the brilliant backdrops involving a banana (just pop along and see for yourself).