RACHEL WHITEREAD, MASTER OF TRANSLUCENCY

Born in Muswell Hill, suburban London, in 1963, to a geography teacher father and an artist mother, Whiteread became prominent among the crop of artists that defined the spirit of 90s London, that include Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Sarah Lucas.

She captured public attention by showing us what we don't see - the air and space that make up our familiar surroundings. Above is her most famous work - 'house' where she cast the entire interior of a typical London Victorian.

More tender moments are achieved with the same technique, revealing what isn't there in our bookshelves. This piece was an important inspiration for us.

In this piece, called 'Looking Through' she casts familiar window blinds in resin. There is both and obvious and a more subtle play on the whole theme of light, transparency and depth here, all achieved with such economy of means.

Here is her proposal for the famously empty 4th plinth at Trafalgar Sq. (as a maquette).

and ending with this beautiful ray of egg yolk yellow sunshine.