Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture
9 Dec 2023 – 28 Jul 2024
Lower Ground, Galleries 16 & 18
Free with ticket
Jordan Wolfson, Body Sculpture (detail), 2023, National Gallery of Australia Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019 © Jordan Wolfson. Courtesy Gagosian, Sadie Coles HQ, and David Zwirner. Photo: David Sims.
‘The intention is that the movement of [Body Sculpture] elicits the viewer to become activated in their bodies and therefore present… It’s about seeing ourselves through three‑dimensional objects...’
About
Jordan Wolfson's Body Sculpture is a robotic work of art, combining sculpture and performance to generate emotional and physical responses in the viewer.
The work can be viewed at set performance session times. It is a free and ticketed art experience. Sessions are on Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun. Book tickets below.
Jordan Wolfson is an artist whose work reflects the situation of the world today. Acting as a witness to the shadow forces within the human condition, Wolfson positions the audience in a physical and moral confrontation with issues facing society and our own place within them.
Wolfson’s animatronic sculptures stage the artist’s desire to reach a deeper register of audience feeling. His works reside at the interface of art history and new technology, drawing from a formal lineage of twentieth-century sculpture as well as images and motifs from the mass media, popular culture and the internet.
This is the first solo presentation of Wolfson’s work in Australia. The world premiere of Body Sculpture, a major acquisition for the national collection, follows Wolfson’s previous animatronic works Female Figure 2014 and Colored Sculpture 2016.
Body Sculpture is shown alongside key works from the national collection selected by the artist, offering further insights into Wolfson’s innovative vision.
Curator: Russell Storer, Head Curator, International Art
Works in this exhibition depict mature themes. Viewer discretion is advised. Children under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Sound levels reach 100 decibels at certain points (equivalent to a motorbike) with loud drumming and impact noises.
Supporting Partner
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Doma Hotels
Visit the website for Doma Hotels
Tickets
Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture is a free and ticketed art experience. The work can be viewed at set performance session times.
Sessions are on Thu, Fri, Sat and Sun.
Body Sculpture Conditions
The following conditions apply to all visitors attending the Body Sculpture art experience and are in addition to the National Gallery’s Conditions of Entry and Conditions of Booking. Failure to comply with these safety conditions may result in being asked to leave the space.
When attending a performance of Body Sculpture, it is a requirement that you:
- follow all instructions provided by National Gallery staff prior to entry and during the entirety of the performance until you have exited the gallery;
- stay at least 2.5m back from the Body Sculpture performance platform at all times;
- remain silent in the performance space throughout the duration of the performance;
- turn your phone to silent from entry until exit;
- be mindful of yourself, Gallery staff, operators and other audience members;
- do not make any sudden movements when in the space;
- do not distract the operators or staff throughout the entirety of the performance;
- take photos discreetly with your mobile phone only (no large cameras);
- exit the space when instructed (either due to an emergency stop or the natural end of the performance);
- quietly exit the gallery space by the main doors if you wish to leave before the natural end of the performance; and
- ensure children under 15 are accompanied by an adult and children under 12 remain seated while in the gallery space.
The National Gallery has implemented these conditions to ensure, to the greatest extent possible in a live robotic-arts performance space, a safe experience and we appreciate you complying during your visit.
events
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Fri 19 Apr 2024, 12pm
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Young People
Art Lab: Live Coding Music
Past Event
Sat 10 Feb 2024, 12.30pm
Australian National University (ANU)
School of Computing
Publication
BODY SCULPTURE: JORDAN WOLFSON
To celebrate the first work by Wolfson to enter an Australian collection the National Gallery presents Body Sculpture: Jordan Wolfson.
The publication explores robust ideas, facilitates discussions and unfolds unique perspectives, positioning the work within diverse contexts, including art history, cybernetics and media theory.
Featuring texts by Wolfson’s principal collaborator, Mark Setrakian; Richard Taylor of Wētā Workshop; Russell Storer, Head of International Art at the National Gallery; Russell Ferguson, a curator, writer and longtime observer of Wolfson’s work; Genevieve Bell and Andrew Meares, from the ANU School of Cybernetics; and artist Anne Imhof.
Edited by Russell Storer, Head of International Art, National Gallery of Australia.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 2023
218 pages
340 mm x 245 mm
full colour | hardback, half Canadian wiro bind
RRP A$110
ISBN 978 0 642 33503 6
Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture publication cover
Video
Collection Display
This display of works from the National Gallery’s collection has been curated by Jordan Wolfson to accompany the presentation of Body Sculpture. It picks up on motifs, images, and references in Body Sculpture, as well as honouring the artist’s influences. Wolfson is an artist who is deeply informed by art history and the lineages and legacies that he works within. The exhibition also includes video works loaned from artists he is inspired by and has worked with. The connections are intuitive and idiosyncratic, in line with Wolfson’s artistic approach.
