Ron Mueck

Ron Mueck (born 1958 in Australia, based in the UK) is a contemporary artist who has pushed the boundaries of figurative sculpture through his innovative use of materials, techniques, and methods of expression. These sophisticated works are created through close observations of humanity combined with philosophical reflection and are imbued with a sense of life. They capture the inner emotions and experiences of human beings, including loneliness, vulnerability, anxiety and resilience. The artist gained attention through his participation in Sensation: Young British Artists from the Saatchi Collection at the Royal Academy of Arts, London (1997), and has since held solo exhibitions around the world.

Ron Mueck’s sculptures challenge our perception of reality through the careful manipulation of scale and their ability to conjure a convincing sense of the specific whilst simultaneously retaining an ambiguity which leaves them open to individual reflection. They possess a mysterious yet intensely powerful presence which interrogates our relationship with our bodies and, more broadly, with existence itself.

This exhibition is the continuance of a long-lasting relationship between the artist and the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain and was first presented in Paris in 2023, traveling to Milan and Seoul before arriving at the Mori Art Museum. This marks the artist’s second solo show in Japan, following the retrospective held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa in 2008. The exhibition presents eleven works that trace the artist’s evolution from early masterpieces to recent creations, with a focus on major pieces including the large-scale work Mass (2016-2017). This comprehensive selection provides deep insight into the development of the artist’s practice. Six of these works are making their Japanese debut, and notably, the early masterpiece Angel (1997) makes this a truly rare opportunity. It also presents photographs and films by French photographer and filmmaker Gautier Deblonde which document Mueck’s studio practice and enrich our understanding how these extraordinary sculptures are created.