Winter 2022

Here's Looking at You British artist Antony Gormley is well known for his life-size statues which mimic the human body. His Field series represents a different approach. Each work consists of tens of thousands of small clay figures, each of them between 8 and 26 cm high. They are all installed on the floor of a room facing the viewer. Gormley states that he wants to make works about our collective human future and our responsibility for it. His artwork aims to look back on its makers and the viewers as if they are all responsible for the world. Gormley deliberately made this installation uncomfortable so that the viewer is cast as the main character who has subconsciously walked onto a stage and now faces an audience that seems to ask: Who are you? What are you? What kind of world are you making? The artist has recreated this art installation five times in different parts of the world, involving hundreds of locals to help make the clay figures. The involvement of these volunteers has added to the community awareness and collective sense of responsibility. "From the beginning, I was trying to make something as direct as possible with clay: the earth," says Gormley. "I wanted to work with people and to make a work about our collective future and our responsibility for it. I wanted the art to look back at us, its makers (and later viewers), as if we were responsible for the world we are in.” SOLUTION: Close your eyes and imagine that you're standing in front of a huge audience. What will you say to them when they ask “What kind of world are you making?”

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