Recorded March 2022. Led by Sculptor Garth Evans, and joined for the talk by Sculpture Forum regulars, sculptors Jock Ireland and Brandt Junceau, with guest Karen Wilkin. Sculpture Forum confronts the work of American artist Charles Ray on view in the Figure Ground show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. Video and sound by Maud Bryt. Editing by Rachael Bohlander.
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Sculpture Forum 
Many thanks for your comment, Carol.
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Dear critics, thank you so much for conducting this forum and inviting listeners to respond, and thank you also for your views expressed here which I totally endorse. I must admit, I did not see the met charles ray exhibition, but I have seen his work before. When I first saw his tractor with driver carved from solid steel at matthew marks gallery, I was gob smacked by the idea of a farmer carved from steel. It seemed so wild and unexpected. I see from the met exhibition, the high tech steel carving has become a habit and applied to nude figures which appear so dull, lifeless, and perverse as you’ve observed. I feel it’s popular appeal is because it’s essentially kitsch, a naive view of art that finds beauty in smoothness, perfection, and banal content. The view believes that something made with huge investments of labor (calvinism) and expense, is automatically valuable if it’s made by men. It doesn’t apply to say, making lace. I applaud your directing thought toward the political implications of the values inherent in the art work. That is truly radical today. I look forward to your future talks.
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