ICA trots out genius of youth

A papier-mache pig made by a nine-year-old boy is the centrepiece of the latest exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art.

The creation may be rather primitive but the child grew up to be one of Britain's most famous contemporary artists - Dinos Chapman.

Not to be outdone his brother Jake has supplied his own model, a penguin made when he was five.

The pig and the penguin, both made in 1971 and fashioned from pages of the Evening Standard, are a far cry from the apocalyptic horror tableaux for which the brothers are now famous.

But the aim of the exhibition, named Surprise, Surprise and launched today, is to challenge the public's perception of 40 contemporary artists by showing off work they have hitherto kept in their bottom drawers.

Also showing unfamiliar work will be Chris Ofili, Wolfgang Tillmans, Martin Creed and Anish Kapoor.

Damien Hirst is showing an untitled collage from 1986 made when he was 20 which consists of a 1914 book by Anglo-Indian novelist Alice Perrin entitled A Free Solitude, some pieces of driftwood and a door stop in the shape of a cricket bat.

Vein, by Turner prize-winning sculptor Anish Kapoor, is a far cry from his refined creations. Blood, made of dye and water, drips down a white wall.

Likewise Martin Creed, who memorably won the Turner prize for his empty room in which a light bulb switched on and off, goes back to basics with a painting consisting of a black staircase.

Also featured is an early painting by Chris Ofili entitled Two Blind Mice, which draws on the artist's Ghanaian roots.

German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans and American photographers Larry Clark and Robert Mapplethorpe are also showcased.

For two hours each day visitors will be serenaded with a loop recording of an orchestra playing the first verse of The Marseillaise without interruption. It is the work of controversial Spanish video artist Santiago Sierra.

Surprise, Surprise is the brainchild of ICA director of exhibitions Jens Hoffmann, who said: "The artists we invited are all known for doing certain things, having an identifiable way of putting their works together.