Robert Gober Untitled Leg, 1989-1990 Beeswax, cotton, wood, leather, human hair
“Gober has always been a political artist, and his breakthrough work in the 1980s and early 1990s was lauded partly for its ability to address divisive social issues such as AIDS, gay identity and religion in America. Using a limited repertoire of straightforward representational sculptures and drawings that were indebted in various measures to Marcel Duchamp, Surrealism and Minimalism, he developed a uniquely provocative idiom of religion, politics, sexuality, mortality and memory: a visual language that sometimes sparked public outrage. The irony of Gober’s now celebrated status is that the controversial nature of his work – still graphic and demanding – has been dulled somewhat by its canonical status…” - Katie Stone, for Frieze Magazine
Luna and Mercury, grisaille painted panel plaster from the upper frieze of a room at Stodmarsh Court, nr. Canterbury, Kent, c.1590-1610. The astrologer and alchemist in the bottom right hand corner allude to the contemporary beliefs about the powers of the planets to influence human behaviour and health. Victoria and Albert Museum.