Ron Mueck: from Creation to Result

 

Ron Mueck is one of the rare artists to let the public take a look at the monstrously precise conception of his creations. First off, he scratches out a sketch, in pencil or pen, on a standard sheet of A4 paper. Next, he brings it into three dimensions, giving it a posture, mimicking a situation, casting individualism into the character. This is where his maquettes come from, in wax or clay. The artist’s vision blurs all conceptions; within his dimensions, the anecdotal becomes imposing, while the imposing becomes insignificant. The precision in his gestures, even in the tiniest wrinkles and pores, as well as the seeming suppleness of the flesh, serve as the final molding: the hero is born.

 

This is how Ron Mueck offers mysterious and contemplative scenes for all to see, concealed and tranquil. But the interpretation he has of the ordinary reveals all the complexity of relationships with others, with the body, and with existence itself. These masks that we put on others or on ourselves, this Comédie Humaine that even enters into the psychological sphere… Nothing can describe these sculptures. One has to brush right up against these illusions, a strange confrontation with ourselves.

 

The public first discovered him with 1997’s Dead Dad, a miniature reproduction of his dead father’s body. Nothing was missing, except perhaps words. It is a strange universe that gives his works their charm. This outlier of contemporary art is far from academic naturalism, or hyperrealism. It is unequivocally a seal of timeless pessimism that he stamps on humanity. And it is this particular constraint that induces a feeling of discomfort with the visitor. Daily dramas are nothing dramatic.

 This exhibit is disturbingly realistic; here the line between real and imaginary is vague indeed.

 

Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain
261 Boulevard Raspail 
75014 Paris 
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