“It's amazing what you can do with an E in A-Level art, a twisted imagination and a chainsaw.”

“No, I don't believe in genius. I believe in freedom. I think anyone can do it. Anyone can be like Rembrandt.”

“I always look at money not as a motivating factor but as an element in the composition. You can't ignore it, but you've got to be very careful that it's not motivating you.”

“I always ignore money.”

“I always feel like the art's there and I just see it, so it's not really a lot of work.”

“It's amazing what you can do with an E in A-Level art, a twisted imagination and a chainsaw.”

“I have always been aware that you have to get people listening before you can change their minds. Any artist's big fear is being ignored, so if you get debate, that's great.”

“Great art - or good art - is when you look at it, experience it and it stays in your mind. I don't think conceptual art and traditional art are all that different.”

“In an artwork you're always looking for artistic decisions, so an ashtray is perfect. An ashtray has got life and death.”

“I was taught to confront things you can't avoid. Death is one of those things. To live in a society where you're trying not to look at it is stupid because looking at death throws us back into life with more vigour and energy. The fact that flowers don't last for ever makes them beautiful.”

“Painting is so poetic, while sculpture is more logical and scientific and makes you worry about gravity.”