The Ron Mueck Exhibition:

While Chris strolled around the ACDC exhibition, I took myself off to see what Ron Mueck was made of. This was my absolute favourite exhibition in Melbourne (even though I got to play on the very first Sid Meirs Civilisation at the ACMI - for MS DOS!!) so I’m going to dedicate a whole blog post to his work. Ron Mueck is an Australian-born, London-based sculptor and his sculptures are so lifelike and completely evocative.

A Girl: 2006

The first thing you see when you walk into the exhibition room is this huge representation of a newly born baby. It’s so real, it’s unreal.

Man in a Boat: 2002



The most evocative thing about this sculpture is the expression on the man’s face. He looks so vulnerable and unsure of what’s out there - his arms seem to be folded not because he’s cold but more as a defensive action.



In Bed: 2005




This is the biggest of all the exhibits and people stood a long time looking at the woman’s face - what is she thinking about?



Wild Man: 2005






Again, massive, this man looks so afraid. I took a closer look at the skin and the hair on his body - it’s unbelievable how Mueck’s managed to make these look so real and life-like. I’m truly amazed.

Two Women: 2005


I liked this one the least - I thought the women had been depicted as slightly evil. Also, this was the one sculpture where I found the proportions to be off slightly - the heads seemed a teeny bit large for the bodies - perhaps this added to the evil-looking nature of the women I disliked. Still impressive though.


Youth: 2009

The look on the boy’s face is what catches your attention here - as he realises he’s been stabbed, the look of mortification is really well done. It’s a small sculpture and the use of size is obviously for emotive effect, just as with Man in a Boat.


Woman with Sticks: 2008



Again, I got a close look at the skin and hair on the sculpture - it’s very realistic. This woman has a look of deep intent, her pose implies she’s bearing a heavy load yet she looks focussed and purposeful.



Mask 2: 2002
This was unveiled at the British Museum so some of you may have seen it - I think I remember seeing it on the telly and Chris says he’s definitely seen it before. This huge, life-like head lies on a podium sleeping and dreaming - a great effect.

Old Woman in Bed: 2002
I found this one quite sad - the lady looks close to death but as it‘s such a tiny sculpure, she looks all the more vulnerable.

Dead Dad: 1996-97
This is one of Mueck’s most recognised works and it’s one of his only sculptures where the subject is no longer alive. They’ve put it in a huge room on it’s own - the only exhibit to be given such privacy. It’s only 102cm long - I guess the small size could be symbolic of how small we are in the scheme of things.

Drift: 2009

Still Life: 2009


The only animal at this exhibition, the chicken still managed to look as real as the others. From the pimples in the skin to the few stray feathers, it evoked the most ‘Ewww’s, ‘Gosh’es and ‘Oh look at that’s in the exhibition as I remember.