The Human Condition, 2010

Coming to terms with my own mortality, I am faced with the proposition that suffering, pain and death comes with life. To express this notion, I have embarked on the arduous process of sculpting Arabescato marble. By creating three pieces of figurative hand sculptures, all referencing my own body and anatomy, they convey my struggle in grasping the idea of imminent death.

Death itself will always be a mystery, but what I can discover, is in trying to make sense of this visual and tactile world that gives us our rich memories and experiences. They include touching, seeing, learning and understanding the semiotics of daily life. Looking at these human attributes, I want to pose the fundamental question: what is reality?

To illustrate this, I explored the art technique of trompe l'oeil (French for “trick the eye”), where I placed a photographic print of a fake shadow under each hand sculpture. By doing so, the fake shadow blends in with the real shadow of the marble hands in the installation. This visual deception becomes a metaphor for the human condition, where “truth” or “fallacy” is non-discernable.

Titles from left:

1. The Human Condition: Hands Embracing Heart Sculpture with Shadow Print
2. The Human Condition: Left Hand Sculpture with Shadow Print
3. The Human Condition: Hand Holding Spinal Bone Sculpture with Shadow Print

2010, L 60cm x W 60cm x H 100cm, Arabescato Marble, Archival Inkjet Print on Sihl Artistic Smooth Paper, Plinth