Today, Artsper is reflecting on the 2013 Ron Mueck exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. Let’s take a look look at the self-taught Australian artist who changed the course of contemporary sculpture.
Ron Mueck started his career as a window decorator while making puppets for TV and film. Made of silicone, polyester resin and oil paint, each of his works requires months of work and incredible precision.
The exhibition included nine works, three of which were created specifically for the event.
Why do Mueck’s sculptures have such a visual impact? As troubling as moving, his characters are often depicted in very ordinary situations: a woman sleeping in her bed, a couple laying down on the beach… Nonetheless, their unrealistic dimensions draw our attention to small details, like a posture or look, while playing on contradicting elements. This often gives the large-scale figures an impression of weakness, while the smaller-scale figures seem strong and determined.
It is because these sculptures recall that woman you see in the street, that man waiting for his bus, your mother or your grandmother, that suddenly emotion arises from the banality and the work comes to life. Beyond hyperrealism, the artist seeks to evoke a sensation: his characters are endless stories, being offered to viewer for free interpretation. It is hard, in fact, not to identify with Ron Mueck’s sculptures, as they seem familiar and human at the same time.
