The Sunday Times art critic and documentary filmmaker Waldemar Januszczak definitely knows his onions and gets around more than his share of exhibitions, so when he enthuses about a show we’re inclined to believe it’s worth a look. The Human Factor at The Southbank Centre is, he says, “the most compelling selection of contemporary art I have seen for years” which is good enough for us. As the mammoth review moves into its final week, we take a look behind its study of the human form.
The exhibition’s subtitle The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture fills in the blanks – it’s a group exhibition and book looking back at the representation of the body during the last 25 years, taking in themes of history, voyeurism, sexuality and violence. The collection, curated from a wide range of artists’ work, ranges from contemporary takes on classical sculpture, such as Mark Wallinger’s contemplative Ecce Homo, to Jeff Koons’ family-friendly Bear and Policeman and Paul McCarthy’s explicit That Girl casts. The exhibition features 25 international artists, including Brits Ryan Gander and Yinka Shonibare MBE, and runs until 7 September. The hardback, which includes 137 colour photographs and essays by Penelope Curtis, Martin Herbert, Lisa Lee and James Lingwood and a foreword by Ralph Rugoff, is published by Hayward Publishing.
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Jeff Koons
Bear and Policeman, 1988
© Jeff Koons
John Miller
Now We’re Big Potatoes, 1992
© and courtesy the artist
Photo by Jochen Littkemann
Isa Genzken
Untitled, 2012 © Isa Genzken
Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth, London
and Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne.
Photo: Alex Delfanne
The Human Factor: The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture
is published by Hayward Publishing.
Special exhibition price £25 (RRP £30) shop.southbankcentre.co.uk
Paul McCarthy
That Girl (T.G. Awake), 2012–13
© the artist
Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Photo, Genevieve Hanson
The Human Factor: The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture
is published by Hayward Publishing.
Special exhibition price £25 (RRP £30) shop.southbankcentre.co.uk
Maurizio Cattelan
Him, 2001
© the artist
Courtesy Maurizio Cattelan’s Archive
Photo, Paolo Pellion di Persano
Frank Benson
Human Statue (Jessie), 2011
© the artist
Courtesy Sadie Coles HQ, London
and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York
The Human Factor: The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture
is published by Hayward Publishing.
Special exhibition price £25 (RRP £30) shop.southbankcentre.co.uk
Maurizio Cattelan
Now, 2004
© the artist
Courtesy Maurizio Cattelan’s Archive
Photo, Andrè Morin
Yinka Shonibare MBE
Girl Ballerina, 2007
Mannequin, Dutch wax printed cotton, gun
119 x 47 x 52 cm
© Yinka Shonibare MBE
Courtesy the artist and Stephen Friedman and DACS
The Human Factor: The Figure in Contemporary Sculpture
is published by Hayward Publishing.
Special exhibition price £25 (RRP £30) shop.southbankcentre.co.uk
Ryan Gander
Tell my mother not to worry (ii), 2012 © the artist
Courtesy Lisson Gallery, London
