CUBE

Abandon
Charles Robb

30 June - 12 August 2006

 

Abandon is the latest instalment in my ongoing, obsessive process of sculptural self-portraiture.  Currently these portraits take the form of the plaster bust, drawing upon its humanist connotations as well as notions of authority, narcissism and subjectivity.

The process of making these busts is performed using only a single mirror, so I have to feel and guess my way for much of the modelling process. According to this process, I always try to capture the kinds of expressions I make in the studio - concentration, frustration or, in this case, tiredness.  That these expressions seem to translate sculpturally as depictions of torment and fear is an interesting irony and probably says something about the Romantic baggage that accompanies the portrait in general.

Lately, these works have been presented in a relatively sparse manner in the exhibition space, without the props that normally give the bust it authority – no pedestals, shelves or stands.  This tends to scupper the more bossy aspect of the form and makes the works seem quite sad and forlorn.

This sparseness also draws attention to the architectonic aspects of the sculptural “edit” that defines the bust.  I like to think of these objects as the stunted offspring of the artist-subject and the “white cube”, for without this rarefied architectural setting they tend to lose a lot of their meaning,

In essence, I’m trying to address the ambivalence I feel about the very ideas of “artist” and “work” – both things that I find deeply problematic, yet somehow magnificent and fundamental.  A bit like my feelings towards the humanist project in general:  no matter how problematic it’s been, I really don’t want it to be over.

Charles Robb

May 2006