Hyper Real @ National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Hyper Real
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Through 18 February 2018

Ron Mueck

Pregnant woman 2002

mixed media

252 x 78 x 72 cm

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Purchased with the assistance of Tony and Carol Berg, 2003, © Ron Mueck

Courtesy the artist, Anthony d’Offay, London and Hauser & Wirth

Carole A Feuerman

General’s twin 2009–11

resin, oil paint

61 x 38 x 20.5 cm

Galerie Hübner & Hübner

© Carole Feuerman

Image courtesy Institute for Cultural Exchange

At the National Gallery of Australia (NGA), visitors can expect to see a frozen sculpture made entirely of the artist’s blood, a transgenic creature giving birth amidst an infinite meadow and a virtual journey through a human skull floating in space amongst the incredible array of ultra-real sculpture and digital art on display.  

Hyper Real presents some of the world’s most incredible true-to-life sculpted forms alongside recent kinetic, biological and virtual creations. The exhibition investigates how artists are pushing the boundaries of the genre in their exploration of what constitutes the contemporary hyperreal.  

‘Presenting 32 artists and nearly 50 works, Hyper Real focuses on extraordinary talent from around the world,’ said Gerard Vaughan, NGA Director. ‘Most importantly, this exhibition highlights the exceptional contribution of Australian practitioners, including Patricia Piccinini, Sam Jinks, Ron Mueck, Shaun Gladwell, Jan Nelson, Stephen Birch and Ronnie van Hout.’ 

Installation view of George Segal’s works 

in the Hyper Real exhibition 

at the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

‘This exhibition not only celebrates the astonishing material and technical feats that have made hyperrealism such a globally popular genre, but also explores the conceptual framework within which these works operate,’ said Jaklyn Babington, NGA Senior Curator of Contemporary Art. ‘Contemporary hyperrealism has pushed beyond static sculpture and into the digital realm. It is a shape-shifting genre, simultaneously traditional and innovative, familiar and provocative.’  

From the Renaissance to the present day, artists have long been fascinated with the human form. Hyperrealism momentarily tricks audiences into believing the artworks to be real and, in doing so, encourages viewers to reconsider what it means to be human. 

Maurizio Cattelan

Ave Maria 2007

polyurethane, paint, clothing, metal

74 x 13 cm x 65 cm

Private collection

Allen Jones

Refrigerator 2002

mixed media

188 x 84 x 37 cm

Private collection

Hyper Real delves into the nuances and complexities of the nude body. From the astonishing precision of replication in Paul McCarthy’s work, to the idealised beauty of John DeAndrea’s sculpted women and the oversized, emotionally exposed figures of Ron Mueck, the nude is central to hyperrealism. 

John DeAndrea

Lisa 2016

bronze, oil paint, hair

30.5 x 170.2 x 91.5 cm

Collection of John DeAndrea & Lorraine DeAndrea

Sam Jink’s technically spectacular oeuvre is exemplified by the NGA’s new commission The deposition 2017, an emotive exploration of the fragility of life and familial roles.   

Sam Jinks

Woman and child 2010

silicone, pigment, resin, silk, human hair

145 x 40 x 40 cm

Collection of the artist

© Sam Jinks. Image courtesy of the artist, Sullivan+Strumpf, Sydney and 

Institute for Cultural Exchange, Tübingen

Zharko Basheski 

Ordinary man 2009–10

polyester resin, fiberglass, silicone, hair

220.0 x 180.0 x 85.0 cm

Collection of the artist

Humour and satire are used to deliver social and political commentary in Sun Yuan and Peng Yu’s kinetic sculptures, while Maurizio Cattelan uses a playful juxtaposition to explore how the notions of power and evil are constructed. Hyper Real pushes the genre beyond today’s understanding of what is natural by encompassing the fantastic hybrid creatures of Patricia Piccinini. 

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

Old people’s home 2007

fiberglass, silica gel, clothing, accessories, electric wheelchairs, dimensions variable

Collection of  Mr. Shi Lai Liu

Marc Sijan

Cornered 2011

polyester resin, oil paint

73.6 x 38.1 x 71.1 cm

Collection of the artist

© Marc Sijan

Image courtesy of the artist and Institute for Cultural Exchange, Tübingen

‘My work deals with ideas of transgenesis—beings that may be part-flower, part-boot, part-human – and looks upon them with compassion, love and acceptance,’ said artist Patricia Piccinini. ‘I question how far science and technology may take us, and what ethical questions arise around beings that are non-conformative and imperfect.’ 

Patricia Piccinini with her work The welcome guest

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra

Patricia Piccinini

Prone 2011

silicone, fibreglass, human hair, felt

230 x 60 x 60 cm

Collection of the artist 

Courtesy of the artist, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, 

Tolarno Galleries, Melbourne and 

Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco

Our computer-generated world is explored through Cao Fei’s pop culture offering, created in the game of Second Life. Tony Oursler’s digital talking head holds a mirror to the twenty-first century’s social media obsession; with anguish, Oursler’s projection tells the viewer it will die if it is not continually looked at and commented upon. 

Cao Fei

Live in RMB City 2009

single-channel video: 24:50 minutes, sound, colour

M+ Sigg Collection, Hong Kong

By donation

Shaun Gladwell

Orbital vanitas 2017

virtual reality: computer-generated animation, 6:00 minutes, sound, colour

Produced by BADFAITH

Courtesy the artist, Anna Schwartz Gallery and BADFAITH 

Creating sculptures that engage with surprising themes, the unbelievable craftsmanship of Tony Matelli’s Josh depicts a young man who appears to both levitate and fall, while Berlinde de Bruckyere’s Elie is presented in a state between agony and death, the human and inhuman.  

Tony Matelli 

Josh 2010

silicone, steel, hair, urethane, clothing

77 x 183 x 56 cm

Collection of the artist

Berlinde De Bruyckere

Elie 2009

wax, epoxy, cushion

38 x 154 x 115 cm

Fundació Sorigué, Lleida, Spain

Sculptures depicting popular figures such as Spider Man, clowns and pin-up girls reveal how culture and the media construct other hyperreal forms, while Ronnie van Hout’s doppelgängers and Marc Quinn’s self-portrait – created with litres of the artist’s frozen blood – provide disconcerting commentary on the infinite replication of humans in the future.  

Ronnie van Hout

Sitting figure I 2016

polyurethane, fibreglass, polystyrene, paint, clothing, acrylic, stainless steel

106 x 90 x 110 cm

Collection of the National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 2017

Courtesy of the artist and STATION, Melbourne

Shaun Gladwell’s virtual reality artwork is an immersive experience, a simulation that tricks us into believing that we are out of our mortal shells, and exploring deep space. VR offers a technological advancement of the human body. As technology is used to enhance our human capabilities we become another kind of hyperreal figure ourselves.  

The Russian collective AES+F present a high-definition 360° immersive video work evoking the aesthetic of daytime soap operas, with a provocative twist. In AES+F’s inverted world, the poor overthrow the rich, women torture men, youths punish their elders and animals usurp humans. 

AES+F

Inverso mundus 2015

seven-channel HD video installation: 38:20 minutes, sound, colour

Courtesy of the artists, MAMM, Anna Schwartz Gallery and Triumph Gallery

Hyper Real explores art, psychology, science, technology and philosophy through the very realness of its subject matter. Welcome to humanity amplified.  

Evan Penny

Self stretch 2012

silicone, pigment, hair, aluminium 

122 x 81 x 69 cm

Courtesy of the artist

Allen Jones

Refrigerator 2002

mixed media

188 x 84 x 37 cm

Private collection

Peter Land

Back to square one 2015

silicone, human hair, fabric, cardboard, leather, dimensions variable

Courtesy of Galleri Nicolai Wallner and Peter Land

HYPER REAL: ARTISTS 

AES+F (Russia)
Zharko Basheski (Macedonia)
Stephen Birch (Australia)
Maurizio Cattelan (Italy)
John De Andrea (USA)
Berlinde de Bruyckere (Belgium)
Keith Edmier (USA)
Cao Fei (China)
Carole A Feuerman (USA)
Daniel Firman (France)
Shaun Gladwell (Australia)
Robert Gober (USA)
Duane Hanson (USA)
Sam Jinks (Australia)
Allen Jones (UK)
Peter Land (Denmark)
Tony Matelli (USA)
Paul McCarthy (USA)
Ron Mueck (Australia)
Jan Nelson (Australia)
Tony Oursler (USA) 
Evan Penny (USA) 
Patricia Piccinini (Australia) 
Marc Quinn (UK) 
Mel Ramos (US) 
Ugo Rondinone (Swiss) 
Jamie Salmon (UK) 
George Segal (USA) 
Marc Sijan (Serbia) 
Ronnie van Hout (NZ/Australia) 
Sun Yuan & Peng Yu (China)

This exhibition is made possible through the support of presenting partner Visit Canberra, major partner Qantas, and supporting partner Maddocks, as well as Exhibition Patrons, Zeke Solomon and the Neilson Foundation.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA
www.nga.gov.au

Ron Mueck at Brooklyn Museum

Ron Mueck
Brooklyn Museum
November 3, 2006 - February 11, 2007

Ron Mueck, a solo exhibition of ten works by the sculptor Ron Mueck, known for his extraordinarily lifelike, empathetic renderings of his subjects, will be presented at the Brooklyn Museum.

The exhibition includes five major new works, commissioned by the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris, where they were recently presented to an enthusiastic audience of 75,000 visitors. Five additional works on loan from North American collections are added to the Brooklyn exhibition, the only United States presentation before the show travels to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.

Born in Australia in 1958, Ron Mueck began creating his scrupulously detailed sculpture in the 1990s. His works are so lifelike, with veins, wrinkles, sagging skin, and body hair, that viewers almost expect them to breathe. Included in the exhibition is Dead Dad (1996-97), commemorating the death of his father through a somewhat smaller than life-size sculpture, which captivated Brooklyn Museum visitors when it was included in the exhibition Sensation. Among the other works included in Ron Mueck are Wild Man (2005), a nine-foot sculpture of a naked, bearded man clutching the stool he is seated on, and Head of Baby (2003), a more than eight-foot-tall head of a newborn infant.

Through his detailed works, which are always either smaller than life size or monumental, Ron Mueck explores the ambiguous relationship of reality to artifice through strategies of imitation and illusion. His earlier pieces were sculpted with fiberglass, but recently he has begun to work with silicone, which is more flexible and allows greater ease in shaping body parts and implanting hair.

After working in Australian television as a puppet maker, Ron Mueck went to Los Angeles in 1986, where he worked in the film industry, and later moved to London. For a time he worked for Jim Henson on Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. For more than a decade, he has focused on creating his sculptures, which have been the subject of previous solo exhibitions at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and the Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, and have been included in several group exhibitions. 

The Brooklyn Museum presentation is organized by Charles Desmarais, Deputy Director for Art at the Brooklyn Museum. A bilingual catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

BROOKLYN MUSEUM
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238-6052
www.brooklynmuseum.org

Ron Mueck: Making Sculpture at the National Gallery, London

Ron Mueck: Making Sculpture at the National Gallery, London

19 March - 22 June 2003

Ron Mueck was invited to become the National Gallery’s fifth Associate Artist in 1999, with the brief of making new work in response to the collection and this exhibition marks the culmination of his time at the Gallery. Ron Mueck is a London-based Australian-born sculptor whose extraordinary skills and manipulations of scale have produced a remarkable body of work as surprising as it is unsettling. A sculptor of the human figure, Ron Mueck has produced four new works for this exhibition, loosely related by the theme of birth and motherhood.

His career as a fine artist began when his small sculpture, 'Dead Dad' was exhibited to much critical acclaim, as part of the 'Sensation' exhibition held at the Royal Academy in 1997. Ron Mueck had worked for many years producing special effects for the film and television industry and the techniques he now uses draw heavily on the skills that he acquired during this time.

Ron Mueck starts by making an initial model of his figures in clay, from which he takes a mould and then casts out the finished pieces in silicone and fibre-glass. His work is highly realistic, with individual hairs appearing to grow through the skin, and moles, veins and blemishes that look entirely convincing. His figures seem to breathe and think and feel. However, their uncanny realism is tempered with unexpected and startling alterations of scale that can have a deep psychological effect on the spectator.

While at the Gallery, Ron Mueck was particularly struck by the fact that the infant Christ is almost always represented in paintings as a strangely unrealistic baby. As a result, he began to investigate the subject of birth and babies within his own work. 'Mother and Child', is a small and intense sculpture that shows a mother with her newborn infant, just a few seconds after its birth. 'Pregnant Woman' is a work that stands at around eight feet high. It shows a woman at the very end of her term, weighed down both literally and metaphorically by the burden she carries within her. 'Swaddled Baby' is a tiny infant securely wrapped and placed gently on a pillow. They are beautiful and poignant works that add a further dimension to this highly traditional subject of birth and motherhood. Finally, 'Man in a Boat' makes use of a battered old rowing boat in which Ron Mueck has placed a small figure of a naked man who cranes his neck as if trying to see what lies ahead.

Central to the Associate Artist scheme is the idea of making new works in response to the art of the past. The first Associate Artist was Paula Rego, in 1990. Since then Ken Kiff, Peter Blake, Ana Maria Pacheco and now Ron Mueck, have held the position. The artist is given a studio in the gallery, that he or she occasionally opens to the public. The artist also meets with pre-booked groups of art students to discuss the work they are making.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY

Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN

www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Ron Mueck, Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC

Directions--Ron Mueck
Hirshhorn Museum, Washington DC
July 18 - October 27, 2002

“Directions--Ron Mueck,” featuring four startlingly hyperrealistic, out-of-scale figures by the Australian-born, London-based artist (b. 1958), opens at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. 

The exhibition is the artist’s first American museum solo show and marks the return of the popular “Untitled (Big Man)” (2000) from the Hirshhorn’s permanent collection. Also on view are sculptures of a miniature newborn and a colossal sleeping mask, as well as of a diminutive old woman in bed that has never been exhibited in the United States.

“Ron Mueck’s sculptures, though inanimate, seem alive---eyes are wet, vessels swell with blood, and you can almost feel the heat and breath emanating off the body,” says Sidney Lawrence, exhibition curator. The skewed sizes of the figures give this realism a psychological edge, which, according to Lawrence, “stirs our imagination while grounding us in the physical world.”

Born in Melbourne, the artist has practiced his craft since childhood, when he fabricated his own playthings. Although never formally trained as an artist, Ron Mueck continued to develop his considerable skills working as an animatronics technician and model maker for children’s television, motion picture special effects and the advertising industry first in Australia (from the late 1970s to mid-1980s) and then Great Britain (from the mid-1980s on).

Ron Mueck turned to sculpture in the mid-1990s after making a half-size Pinocchio figure, which served as a model for the painter Paula Rego, his mother-in-law, and was displayed beside Rego’s Disney-inspired canvases in the exhibition “Spellbound: Art and Film” at the Hayward Gallery, London.

Among the first public exhibitions of the artist’s work was “Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection,” a 1997 London show also seen in New York, that included Mueck’s unforgiving “Dead Dad” (1997). More recently, Ron Mueck created a 15-foot-high crouching “Boy” to fill the cavernous space of London’s Millennium Dome (2000); it reappeared at the multinational Arsenale section of the Venice Biennale in 2001. During the summer of that same year, Ron Mueck first exhibited his work in the United States in a New York gallery.

Although the artist has largely relied on photographic sources, a current residency at the National Gallery in London has enabled him to work from live models. “Untitled (Big Man),” a hairless, glaring figure with ponderous rolls of blotchy skin, was a product of such a life study; other works have evolved differently. The alien-looking, wall-mounted “Untitled (Baby)” (2000) was influenced both by family experiences and devotional masterpieces in the National Gallery. “Mask II” (2001), measuring nearly 4 feet from chin to furrowed brow, is a self-portrait of the artist’s slumbering head on its side. “Untitled (Old Woman in Bed)” (2000) is Ron Mueck’s poignant remembrance of the final days of his wife’s much loved grandmother.

The artist spends months modeling his figures in clay on armatures built from metal and chicken-wire to create forms which he eventually casts in fiberglass resin or silicon. Ron Mueck completes a work by painting in specific details like blemishes, and adding elements such as resin eyeballs and strands of monofilament, which are drilled or punched individually into surfaces to represent eyelashes, eyebrows, stubble and hair.

As part of the Smithsonian’s Thursday “Art Night” festivities on July 18, Sidney Lawrence, exhibition curator and Hirshhorn head of public affairs, will discuss Ron Mueck’s (pronounced Mew-ick) sculpture in a gallery talk at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m., curators Merry Foresta and Arthur Wheelock and critic Blake Gopnik will join Lawrence for a panel discussion titled “What is Realism?,” inspired by the artist’s work.

HIRSHHORN MUSEUM & SCULPTURE GARDEN
Independence Avenue and Seventh Street S.W., Washington, DC
www.hirshhorn.si.edu