克里德1968年生於英國北部韋克菲爾德，三歲時舉家移居蘇格蘭格拉斯哥。1986-90年就讀於倫敦史拉特藝術學院；1990-2001年在倫敦生活及工作，期間組織樂隊OWADA而涉足音樂創作。2001年移居意大利阿里古迪，現於倫敦和阿里古迪兩地生活及工作，為2001年泰特美術館「特納獎」得獎者。
克里德的作品主要關注有與無之間的張力，探討藝術品的構成，以及作品的價值與周邊世界的關係。作品《全世界+作品=全世界》(1996)就能充份地表達這個探索方向。通過觀眾簡單的舉動如閱讀和理解，這件作品作為一個公式，能否定自身的存在並與周邊世界的融合。作品呈現的形式，不論是採用霓虹燈，或簡單地打印在A4紙上作為文本，都完全取決於藝術家認為什麼是最合適的展覽情境。《作品115號》(1995)的副題「一個安裝在地上令門只能打開30度的門擋」，預示了觀眾進入畫廊時的經歷。透過這些含蓄的干預，克里德改變了我們在畫廊的體驗，效果往往令人意想不到—觀眾會因要擠入一扇半開的畫廊大門而感到惱怒；而於1998年創作的《作品200號》(副題是「在特定空間的一半空氣」)，能令觀眾經歷被數以百計的白色汽球團團包圍的刺激。1995年的《作品127號》(「燈光一開一關」)隱喻人類的情感，效果出奇地感人。
從干預物件到寫作，從歌曲到訪問，克里德都會為每件作品編號及分類。這個系統並非按次序編排，其號碼與創作日期之間也沒有關連。這個號碼一旦被選取，就永不重複使用。《作品78號》(1993) 被描述為「從2.5厘米闊的彈性膠布盡量裁剪出2.5厘米的正方形並將之疊起，把膠面向下，疊成為一個2.5厘米的正立方體」。克里德說：「若然要說的話，我的創作始於嘗試去做些東西，或者嘗試去做一些無物。既然這樣，創作關鍵就在於在云云事物中，嘗試去確立一些條件，包括這些東西可以用甚麼材料，會做成什麼形狀，有多大，它的結構可以如何形成，應該怎樣擺放，東西如何被連接、安置和展示，一些東西怎樣變得便於攜帶，怎樣被包裝、收藏、認證、呈現及售賣，價格須定於多少，以及數量應該有多少—倘若是有這些東西的話，但也許根本沒有這些東西。」
克里德的作品曾在多處展出，最近的個展包括：格文．布朗企業(紐約，2010)；蘇格蘭國立現代藝術館(愛丁堡，2009)；泰特英國美術館(倫敦，2009)；廣島城市當代美術館(日本，2009)；伊康畫廊(伯明翰，英國，2008)；波士頓藝術中心(波士頓，美國，2007)；豪舍和沃思畫廊(倫敦，2007)。最近的聯展包括「手執羅盤：茱迪斯．羅斯切爾德精選藏品」(現代藝術博物館，紐約，2010)；「分類：泰特英國當代藝術」(泰特英國美術館，倫敦，2009)；「倫敦呼聲」（完全當代藝術館，首爾，2009）；韓之演當代空間(北京，2009)。
Creed was born in 1968 in Wakefield, in the north of England. His family relocated to Glasgow, Scotland when he was three years old. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, London from 1986 to 1990, then lived and worked in London from 1990 to 2001, during which time he also extended his practice into musical composition with his group project OWADA. Creed moved to Alicudi, Italy in 2001 and now lives and works in both London and Alicudi. Creed was the Turner Prize winner at Tate Britain in 2001.
Martin Creed’s work is concerned with the tension between something and nothing, with what exactly constitutes an artwork and the value of that work in relation to the world around it. A work from 1996 entitled the whole world + the work = the whole world eloquently conveys this inquiry. The work exists as a formula which negates its very existence and integration into the world around it through the simple action of reading and comprehension. No matter the piece is presented as neon signage, or perhaps as a simple printed text on an A4 sheet of paper, its form depends on the context the artist feels best at the time of exhibiting. Work No. 115 (1995) is subtitled “a doorstop fixed to a floor to let a door open only 30 degrees” which is again exactly what the viewer encounters on entering the gallery. Through these subtle interventions, Creed alters our experience of the gallery to startling effect — the annoyance of having to squeeze through a semi-opening gallery door, the excitement of being engulfed in hundreds of inflated white balloons in Work No. 200 (1998), subtitled “half the air in a given space”. Or the strangely moving metaphor for human emotion, Work No. 127 (1995), “the lights going on and off”.
Everything Creed makes is assigned a work number and catalogued, from interventional objects and writings, to songs and interviews. The number system is often arranged in a non-linear fashion and does not necessarily relate to the date a piece was created. Once assigned, the number will be never used again. Work No. 78 (1993), is described; “as many 2.5cm squares as are necessary cut from 2.5cm Elastoplast tape and piled up, adhesive sides down, to form a 2.5cm cubic stack”. Of this work, Creed has said: “If anything, this work began as an attempt to make something, if not nothing. If that, the problem was to attempt to establish, amongst other things, what material something could be, what shape something could be, what size something could be, how something could be constructed, how something could be situated, how something could be attached, how something could be positioned, how something could be displayed, how something could be portable, how something could be packaged, how something could be stored, how something could be certified, how something could be presented, how something could be for sale, what price something could be, and how many of something could there be, or should be, if any, if at all”.
Creed has exhibited widely, with recent solo exhibitions including Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York, 2010; Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Tate Britain, London, Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, Japan, 2009; Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, UK, 2008; Boston Centre for the Arts, Boston, USA and Hauser and Wirth, London, 2007. His recent group exhibitions include Compass in Hand: Selections from the Judith Rothschild Collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2010; Classified: Contemporary Art at Tate Britain, Tate Britain, London, London Calling, the Total Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul and Hanjiyun Contemporary Space, Beijing, 2009.