Ron Mueck

I follow Vsauce2 on YouTube. They make videos about interesting things happening around the world and it's great because it gives me ideas and new things to see and do. A few weeks ago, they posted a photo of this baby girl; newly born, umbilical cord still attached and bloody. I thought, gross and I wondered what was so interesting about it. 

As you can see, it's not a real baby, but a 16-foot sculpture. And so, of course I had to look into the genius who created it!

Well, his name is Ron Mueck -as you can tell from the title of the post- and his work is ridiculously awesome! Mueck is an Austrian sculptor who started out as a model maker, puppeteer, and prop designer. As is the case with many prop and set designers, Mueck looked for more permanence, perfection, and appreciation of his craft. 

When he ventured out on his own (first partnering with his mother-in-law) he began creating pieces depicting the human body. Now, you already know that I have an appreciation for any artist who uses the human body to express their art, but I especially appreciate one who sculpts it with such accuracy and true-ness. Mueck is a hyperrealist. His sculptures express every dimple, crease, mole and wrinkle. It's difficult just to draw the human body, I can't imagine sculpting it from nothing but your imagination. I don't know if he counts every hair on the head of his subjects, but the accuracy is eerily spot on! 

Of course, art isn't art if it doesn't wow you and make you think. The wow factor that Mueck utilizes is scale. Scale is that element that changes something from simple to dynamic. A 16-foot baby girl or a 24" sleeping couple.....definitely dynamic. 

I've been trying to go to one of Ron's exhibits. I almost made it to the Lifelike exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego where Mueck is featured. Every time I tried to go, they were closed. I can't wait be see the works up close, I'll be awestruck.

~ Lisa Lou