Dimensions: plinth: 690 x 827 x 624 mm, 20 kg displayed: 1165 x 1040 x 790 mm
Copyright: © Ron Mueck | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Ron Mueck’s *Spooning Couple*. The hyperrealism is astonishing! What strikes me is how the banality of the subject is juxtaposed with such intricate labor. What do you make of it? Curator: Notice the labor that went into creating hyperrealism. Mueck's earlier work in commercial modelling is really integral. This piece, seemingly straightforward, prompts questions about consumption. Does the artist celebrate or critique the commodification of intimacy through such meticulous craftsmanship? Editor: So, it's less about *what* they're doing, and more about the sheer effort put into representing it? Curator: Precisely. How does the material—resin, fiberglass—influence our perception of the depicted relationship within a consumerist society? The labor and production question whether this is high art or craft. Editor: I hadn't considered the art's materials as a commentary on consumerism itself! Thanks!
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Spooning Couple is a sculpture by Australian artist Ron Mueck representing a man and woman lying down together. Both figures have a light skin tone and are semi-naked. The figures are represented with a high degree of realism apart from their scale, which is approximately half life-size. They are displayed on a low plinth so that the viewer sees them from above. The couple lie in a spooning position: both figures lie on their right-hand side facing in the same direction, with the woman lying in a slight foetal position while the man lies behind her, his body curled next to hers. The man wears an off-white T-shirt and is naked from the waist down. He lies with his right arm bent under his head and his left arm bent up to his chest. His pale brown straight hair hangs limp around his face and his gaze is cast slightly downward. The woman is naked from the waist up and wears grey knickers. Both of her arms are drawn up close to her body with her right hand pressed lightly against her mouth. Her straight brown hair falls under her head with one strand falling loose. The woman's eyes are also open and she looks slightly downwards.
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