Making Sculpture at the National Gallery

Exhibition by Ron Mueck, London (tel 020 7747 2885; www.nationalgallery.org.uk)

19 March to 22 June 2003; 10 am to 6 pm daily, Wednesdays to 9 pm; admission free

Rating: ***

Perhaps best known for his participation in the unforgettable Sensation exhibition with his sculpture Dead Dad, Ron Mueck is the fifth associate artist to have been invited to the National Gallery. Artists are invited to create an exhibition inspired by their permanent collection of old works. Mueck has surprised everyone with his strikingly lifelike sculptures of people with reference to motherhood and childbirth. A child sized woman who has just given birth, umbilical cord trailing from her newborn baby, and a pregnant woman twice normal size stand out in this extraordinary exhibition. Since the birth of Christ, the theme of mother and child has been prevalent in art, and excellent examples are on display throughout the gallery. But Mueck noticed that more often than not, the babies in these paintings did not look like real babies. He was inspired to make an exhibition about birth and pregnancy, and used his trademark of making sculptures of people much larger and smaller than reality.

The main piece is a woman at full term, with her belly swollen and her eyes closed. Her expression is one of exhaustion. The pregnant woman is twice the size of a normal person, and this accentuates the huge burden that she is carrying. The other piece is a woman who has just given birth, her baby curled up on her stomach. This piece is tiny, and makes the viewer appreciate the change from pregnancy to childbirth for a woman, so much smaller when her baby is born.

This fantastic exhibition is surreal as the sculptures are so lifelike, even though the sizes are strange. Each piece took months to make, and it shows. Hairs have been inserted one by one into the silicon bodies; every minute detail and blemish is present, from shaved hair follicles on the womans legs to goosepimples and birthmarks. Visitors can also watch a 20 minute video showing the painstaking process that went into making the sculptures.

In a unique way, this exhibition gives an insight into the experience of pregnancy—something difficult to appreciate as an outsider. It gives the viewer some idea of the intensity of pregnancy and the sheer weight that a woman carries. I recommend this exhibition to anyone interested in pregnancy, childbirth, medicine, and the power of art or who is simply intrigued by the idea of this exhibition. You will not be disappointed.