Dialogue

Albert Szukalski has not just made a freestanding sculpture: he evokes a situation that is at once mundane and strange. The two figures appear to be in conversation, but they are not actually present. They have literally escaped. In fact, the artist places pieces of plaster-soaked fabric over the body of a living model. Once the plaster hardens, the model steps out: what remains is a void captured by a white shell, a tangible absence. The white plaster, weatherproofed with polyester, enhances the ghostly atmosphere. 

This work is in the depot because the material is very fragile: the polyester has become brittle through exposure to sunlight. Moreover, the work invites onlookers to touch it, so it has already been damaged several times.

Albert Szukalski is a Belgian painter, sculptor and assemblage artist of Polish origin. He is best known for his draped sculptures and ghostly figures. In the 1980s, he created a sculpture park in Death Valley National Park in the US featuring works by himself and his artist friends.