PRESENTATION: Tony Cragg-New Sculptures
Tony Cragg explores the complex relationships between the natural and man-made world to create an innovative, distinctive sculptural language. A self-described ‘radical materialist’, the artist is ‘interested in the internal structures of material that result in their external appearance’. Originally informed by British land art and performance art, his work is inspired by the macro and micro structures found in nature, as well as an engagement with industrial materials and processes.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery Archive
Focusing on his most recent bodies of work, the exhibition “New Sculptures” offers a view into the breadth of Tony Cragg’s latest formal developments, which are defined by the British artist’s continual investigation into the possibilities of a wide range of materials and his exploration of both the natural and the man-made worlds. The works on view range from detailed stainless-steel sculptures from his recent series Incidents to softer, organic forms, such as his latest Integers, with each distinctive material informing the shape the finished sculpture takes. His polymorphic sculptures seem to emulate geographical layers of sediment when constructed from plywood. When cast in bronze, they appear more weighted, almost turned in on themselves, highlighting Cragg’s deep understanding of materiality and how it affects our perception of the work. ‘Every change in material form has a precise and immediate consequence for our thoughts, feelings and course of action and, with that, the future,’ states the artist. Highlighting the playful relationship between organic and geometric shapes, the streamlined Integers are juxtaposed with more intricate sculptures whose pulsating forms extend both inwards and outwards. This includes a series of works that feature formations reminiscent of solidified drop-shaped dabs of foam or emulsion. Cast in bronze, Cragg imparts the impression of malleability to this exceedingly hard and heavy material, the work’s surfaces a nuanced blend of rounded and tapered contours. The monumental work “Karst” (2020) evokes geological patterns of erosion. The artist has stated, ‘although it is the human figure which interests me most deeply, I have always paid great attention to natural forms.’ Inspired by karst landscapes, a topography shaped by the erosion of soluble rocks such as limestone, Cragg’s sculpture features intricate textures and fractures found in these natural formations. By contrast, the rugged surface of the bronze sculpture “Mean Average” (2021) appears to be made up of stratified forms that are pressed into each other. Profiles and jawlines seem to emerge and recede from the undulating biomorphic mass, resolving from certain viewpoints, before dissolving back into abstraction. Through meticulous craftsmanship, Cragg’s sculptures captivate the viewer with their palpable energy and intriguing concepts of space. This exhibition highlights the many ways in which Cragg’s practice continues to answer anew what is possible in terms of form.
Photo: Tony Cragg, Untitled, 2023, Stainless steel, 90 x 39 x 58 cm (35.43 x 15.35 x 22.83 in), © Tony Cragg, Courtesy the artist and Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery
Info: Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Salzburg Villa Kast, Mirabellplatz 2, Salzburg, Austria, Duration: 21/3-11/5/2024, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-14:00, https://ropac.net/
