piles of oversized skulls will show at ron mueck's paris exhibition

ron mueck to exhibit at fondation cartier

The Fondation Cartier in Paris has announced an upcoming exhibition featuring the works of renowned Australian artist Ron Mueck. The exhibition will run from June 8th to November 5th, 2023, and will showcase both previously unseen sculptures — including ‘Man in a Boat (2002), ‘Baby’ (2000), ‘With a Girl’ (2006) — and as well as iconic pieces from Mueck’s career.

As the gallery notes, ‘The works of Ron Mueck, at once deeply mysterious and extremely genuine, imbue reality with a dreamlike quality inviting us to confront our own relationship to the body and, more broadly, to existence.’

Curated by Hervé Chandès, the exhibition will feature the monumental installation ‘Mass’ (2017), which will be presented for the first time outside of Australia. Commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, ‘Mass’ comprises one hundred oversized human skulls piled high and reconfigured by the artist for each venue. The installation will invite visitors to reflect on fundamental aspects of human existence and offers a physical and psychological experience that captivates viewers.

Ron Mueck, Man in a Boat, 2002 | image courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain

the artist explores a new creative process

In addition to ‘Mass,’ the Paris exhibition will also showcase new works created especially for the occasion, which illustrate recent evolutions in Ron Mueck’s practice. One of the new works is a menacing group of large dogs, a project that the artist had been harboring during preparations for his 2013 solo show at the Fondation Cartier.

‘Mass’ marks a turning point in Mueck’s career and expresses his desire to embrace new ways of sculpting. With this new approach, the artist brings the viewer closer to the essence of his work: the immediacy and resonance of experiencing its presence. The exhibition will also feature ‘Dead Weight’ (2021), a cast-iron skull weighing in at nearly two tons, which is exhibited for the first time in France.

Ron Mueck, Mass, 2017, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) | image © Tom Ross

a new Focus on form and presence

Mueck’s works are known for their attention to detail, replicating every aspect of skin, hair, and clothing. However, the new works unveiled in this exhibition represent a shift away from this previous practice. The artist’s focus is now on the sculpting of form and presence, allowing him to broaden the subject matter and explore larger groups with a more dynamic tension or movement.

The Fondation Cartier’s upcoming exhibition will be Mueck’s third at the institution, continuing a dialogue that first introduced French audiences to his rare and highly anticipated work in 2005. Along with the exhibition, a short film by French photographer Gautier Deblonde, documenting the creation of Mueck’s two latest works, will be shown on the Fondation Cartier’s digital platforms. The exhibition will next be presented at Triennale Milano from December 2023 to March 2024 in the framework of the partnership between the Fondation Cartier and the Milan institution.

Ron Mueck’s studio, Ventnor, Wight Island, United-Kingdom, 2023 | image © Gautier Deblonde
Ron Mueck’s studio, Ventnor, Wight Island, United-Kingdom, 2023 | image © Gautier Deblonde