ROM MUECK - In Bed. (not him,the sculpture)

I find this work really interesting. I don't really know why. The fact that it involves a woman and a bed might have something to with it. Or so I thought at first, but it's actually not that. I think what makes this sculpture interesting is the fact that it's somehow unsettling. There is too much going on the woman's expression for one thing. There are a lot of intense emotions playing across her face- fear, sadness, loneliness, regret, despair, helplessness- some strong stuff. And because she's so large, it's all amplified. Because of the vivdly large scale, I could be standing ten metres away from her and it would still feel like I'm standing too close. And it's probably designed to feel that way. It's very effective I think.

Also, the sculpture is so large, and her expression is so life like and intense, that I would be hesitant to stand by her bedside because I would feel like i'm in the presence of someone who's soul is about to implode one way or another, and it might get messy. She kinda looks like a long suffering wife who's husband drinks away all their meagre income, and spends his nights in whorehouses, while she lies in bed too terrified to go anywhere. Or worse yet, maybe she's never been married, and has spent her whole youth locked away from life, writing unsuccesful books that never get published, and now she's old and regretful and desperately yearns for companionship, but no man will go near her and the clock is ticking. Oh, and the poor thing is probably barren as well..

I could really go on here spinning scenario after scenario, and they're all bleak and Dickensian (which seems appropiate given that even her features look like something out of Bleak House, all british and pallid). The more I look at her the more of that kind of stuff comes to mind. And that is probably exactly why this 'In Bed' sculpture is so effective, because it evokes so much backstory. And the more one looks at the woman, the more one becomes oddly familiar with her, and one ends up in some wierd zone, torn between wanting to reach out to her and provide some kind of comfort to her, and not wanting to be around when her phsyche and her spirit finally explode, in which case one has ten minutes to get out of the Chernobyl blast radius.
I'm really just riffing here, but like I said, that's probably due to the effectiveness of the work. Most fine art sculptures don't really evoke any backstories for me because I find anything that doesn't have Sylvester Stallone or Russell Crowe in it boring, but this one got through, which is a testament to it's impact.

Also, I really couldn't find any firsthand information about 'In Bed' anywhere, except for when and how it was made, which is 2005, and using a variety of mixed media beginning with a rought wooden frame for marking out proportions, and layering that with some kind of silicone putty compound, then sculpting out details once the rough shape is set, and finally painting it with airbrush and washes for a realisitc 'weathered' look. Oh and Mueck also punches actual human hairs into his sculptures, one by one, and by hand.

Unfortunately, Mueck is known for being notoriously shy, so I couldn't find any actual interviews where Mueck himself describes his own thoughts about the sculpture. But I guess 'In Bed' doesn't really need the artist to describe- I'd be willing to bet quite confidently that people are gonna look at her and imagine very similar backstories to the ones I did.