Here's a modern day riddle for you – where can you see a five metre long baby and a tiny elderly woman who fits in to the palm of your hand? No, it's not a
Gulliver's Travels reference; I'm talking about the Ron Mueck exhibition at the
Gallery of Modern Art.
GOMA at South Bank is the venue for the largest Australian showing of the expatriate artist to date. The exhibit will feature many of Mueck's more iconic works, such as
In bed (pictured) and
Dead dad, as well as a variety of his less known and less typical works. There will also be four new works for patrons to experience.
Ron Mueck had a successful career as a model maker and puppeteer before turning his hand to art. The artist learned the ropes by working on well-known children's productions like
Labyrinth and
The Storyteller, both directed by Jim Henson (creator of The Muppets.) Mueck's artistic endeavours have been exhibited around the world, including London, New York and Berlin, and he is renowned for his attention to detail in creating life-life, but not life-sized, sculpture of people.
Why the discrepancy in size? According to
Sculpture Magazine, Mueck's work "expose[s] our need to validate our humanity, even as they thwart our attempts at full disclosure." Pompous artistic babble aside, Mueck's work is impressive and compelling even if you don't really understand what it's all about.
The Ron Mueck exhibit will run until 1 August. The gallery will also run related cinémathèque features, guest speakers and a free educational program for secondary school students.
