Steidlville

Berlinde de Bruyckere

Berlinde de Bruyckere will be presenting new work at her first solo exhibition in the US.

Schmerzensmann published, by Steidl in 2006 provides a rare and intimate glimpse into her studio and working process. Her figures are often faceless, malformed and fragmentary. They perch precariously on high stools or are suspended from the walls, ceiling or tall iron columns. At first their shape seems familiar although they resist interpretation, offering a disturbing vision of fragility and suffering and they appear vulnerable and violated, their skin stretched and broken.

The works presented in the book invoke the Schmerzensmann, the eternal “Man of Suffering”,and focuses on eight sculptures in wax, one of the artist’s preferred materials. The texture of the pallid wax suggests a skin so thin and fragile that it is almost translucent. Close inspection reveals subtly mottled hues and textures that imply vulnerability to heat and cold but also to the more intangible threat of violence and fear. Each of the eight sculptures is illustrated from many viewpoints, offering the chance to examine in detail their form, surface texture, spatiality and relation to the viewer.

Oct 10th - Nov 15th
Yvon Lambert Gallery
550 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011