2016-2017
Collection: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, 2018 Bequest of Felton
Exhibition view: "Ron Muek", National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, 2025
Photography: Nam Ki-young
Image courtesy of Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea
The Mori Art Museum and the Fondation Cartier Contemporain will present the exhibition "Ron Muyek" from April 29 (Wed) to September 23 (Wed, holiday), 2026.
Ron Muek (b. 1958, Australia, UK) is a contemporary artist who has pushed the boundaries of figurative sculpture using innovative materials, techniques, and methods of expression.
Created with close observation of human beings and philosophical contemplation, Mueck's works are sophisticated and full of life, skillfully expressing the inner emotions and experiences of human beings, such as loneliness, fragility and weakness, anxiety, and resilience.
Since then, he has held solo exhibitions around the world since his participation in the exhibition "Sensation: Young British Artists in the Saatchi Collection" (1997) at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.
The sculpture, which is made much larger or even smaller than the actual person, is also a challenge to our preconceived notions.
At the same time, while it is close to the reality that it seems to actually exist, it also leaves an ambiguity that encourages each viewer's interpretation and reflection.
It exudes a mysterious yet overwhelming presence, questioning our relationship with our bodies and with our very existence.
This exhibition is planned based on the artist's long-standing relationship with the Fondation Cartier Contemporain, and will be held at the Mori Art Museum in 2023, starting at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, passing through Milan and Seoul.
This is my second solo exhibition in Japan since the retrospective exhibition was held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in 2008.
Focusing on the artist's major works, such as the large-scale work "Mas" (2016–2017), 11 works from his early masterpieces to his recent works will be exhibited, providing a deep insight into the development trajectory of his works.
Six of these works will be exhibited for the first time in Japan, and it will be a unique opportunity to exhibit his early masterpiece Angel (1997).
The exhibition will also feature valuable photographic and video works by French photographer and filmmaker Gautier Dublonde documenting the artist's studio and production process, revealing how Mueck's incomparable sculptures are created.