THIEVES STEAL ARTISTS £3,000 AND REPLACE IT WITH A 40p VERSION.

A £3,000 BRICK ON SHOW AT AN ART EXHIBITION HAS BEEN STOLEN, AND REPLACED WITH A 40p VERSION. ARTIST GAVIN TURK'S 'REVOLTING BRICK' WORK WAS TAKEN FROM ITS PLINTH AT AN EXHIBITION IN PECKHAM, SOUTH EAST LONDON. IT WAS REPLACED WITH A BLACKENED BRICK EMBLAZONED WITH THE WORDS: 'THANK YOU HAVE A NICE DAY, NEXT'. SHOW ORGANIZERS NOTICED THE ARTWORK HAD BEEN STOLEN JUST A DAY BEFORE THE TWO-WEEK EVENT AT AREA 10 PROJECT WAS DUE TO CLOSE. SPOKESMAN DIMITRI LAUNDER SAID; 'IT IS DISAPPOINTING, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT IT, WE ARE NOW WAITING FOR A RANSOM.' THE STOLEN BRICK IS NUMBER EIGHT IN A SERIES OF TEN CREATED BY TURK, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE 'YOUNG BRITISH ARTISTS' MOVEMENT ALONGSIDE DAMIEN HIRST.THE REPLACEMENT BRICK WAS PLUCKED FROM A PILE OF 500 BRICKS I ANOTHER PART OF THE GALLERY, WHICH VISITORS WERE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE AWAY. JACK BURTON, WHO ORGANIZED THE 'BRICKS' EXHIBITION, SAID THERE WOULD BE A REWARD FOR INFORMATION. 'THE ARTIST IS UPSET, BUT FLATTERED', HE SAID. 'I HAD JUST LEFT THE SPACE TO GET TAKEAWAY FOR LUNCH WHEN I GOT A CALL FROM AN ATTENDANT ASKING ME WHERE GAVIN'S ARTWORK WAS. IT TURNED OUT A GROUP THAT HAD JUST LEFT THE GALLERY HAD SWAPPED GAVIN'S BRICK WITH A FAKE VERSION. WE JUST WANT THE BRICK BACK, IT'S SUCH A SHAME FOR TEH SHOW TO END THIS WAY, WITH A POLICE INVESTIGATION.'