Adam 1995

Curator: Welcome. Here we see Didier Vermeiren’s “Adam,” held in the Tate Collections. Editor: It looks...heavy. Monumental, even, though its surface is surprisingly delicate, almost crumbling. Curator: Vermeiren's work often grapples with the display and perception of sculpture itself. Consider the architecture framing it here. Editor: Yes, it underscores the material reality of the piece. You can almost feel the weight, the texture. Is it plaster? Curator: It's plaster, yes. Vermeiren is questioning our relationship to classical forms, and how they're valued by institutions. Editor: So this tension between material and monumentality makes us reconsider our expectations of sculpture. Curator: Precisely. It’s an exploration of the space between the ideal and the real. Editor: Well, it’s certainly given me a lot to think about regarding how we elevate certain objects. Curator: Indeed. Vermeiren prompts us to examine the very foundations of artistic value.