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Saturday 27 March 2010

Exhibitions - Ron Mueck - Manchester Art Gallery


Star rating – 8/10

There may only be three pieces in this exhibition by Australian born Ron Mueck at Manchester Art Gallery, but what it lacks in quantity it absolutely makes up for in quality. As you enter the room you are hit with the enormous ‘Wild Man’ sitting naked and scared to death, gripping the stool he is on. Although the sculpture is so big, nevertheless the detail and humanity of the work is breathtaking.

The next piece is the ‘Mask III’, a huge face protruding from the wall exuding warmth and humour. The third and last piece is ‘Spooning Couples’ - a very much smaller piece in which a man and woman lie next to each other in bed. They are not really connecting with each other and it feels very much as if the viewer is an uneasy voyeur into a very private moment.

Mueck skilfully portrays honest and true human emotions using resin and silicone. He achieves a remarkable and staggering effect with the scale of his works, either massively oversized, or human form in miniature.

Only three pieces but staggering in their effect – less is definitely more here.

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