Ron Mueck at the GoMA

Last weekend, KG brought my friend PS and I to Brisbane for a day. PS had flown in from Malaysia to spend a couple of days with us and I thought it would be nice for her to experience as much of Queensland as one could within 4 days.

The Ron Mueck exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art had come highly recommended. Whilst waiting for KG, who was in line for the tickets, I came across this amusing piece near the entrance.

Too Much Sushi II by Niki Hastings-McFall. This will look extremely familiar to anyone who's ever been a student in Australia. I always wondered what to do with the packets.

Ron Mueck is a Melbourne-born, London-based artist who is most well-known for his lifelike fibreglass sculptures. Surprsingly, photography (though not flash photography) was permitted.

Dead Dad. This was the piece that shot him to fame. Mueck made this after his father passed away. It's also the only sculpture using his own hair.


A girl. The picture quality doesn't do this justice. The lashes are fine and sparse, the little hair on her scalp plastered.


Look at the detail on the toes.


I have no idea what the name of this piece is, but it's just perfect. Like the details on the ribs, the stray grays in the hair, the awkward, self conscious expression on his face...





This isn't a real hand, but look at the hairs, the veins and there's even sun spots so faint that the camera didn't pick it up. And the goosebumps on the skin of the buttocks. Amazing stuff.


Woman with sticks. One of the nicest things about the exhibition was how the sculpted pieces resembled real, normal people. With the current obssession on perfection, it was an actual relief to see some dimples (not just on the face), wrinkles and love handles.


In bed.


Wonder what she's thinking about?


Two women. This makes me think of famished, fearful Eastern Europe back in the day.


Old woman in bed. This is only a little one, but the detail once again, was wonderful. If you looked carefully enough, she even has teeth.


Man in boat.


Still life. A familiar scene at your local chicken rice stall.


No, it's not a real chicken. But feathers are used.


Pool time. I wonder if it was deliberately set crucifix-style?


I checked. His eyes are half open under those sunnies.


Mask II. This is a self portrait, which is hollow.


Even the five o' clock shadow consists of painstakingly embedded 'hairs' which are a fair bit thicker than your average foliage.


Not sure what this one is called. Perhaps a political message against violence in Africa?

It was strangely intimate, looking at these non-people people, mostly nude or in resting positions, often looking vulnerable. I once read Courtney Love's biography by Poppy Z Brite. After Kurt Cobain shot himself, she had casts made out of his hands. I suppose if I had the resources, I'd love to have some sculptures of people I love done, just to remember them by.