Toby Christian, 'Block (green)', 2009
Painted plaster, 11 x 47 x 20 1/2 in (28 x 119.5 x 52.5 cm)
Toby Christian, 'Buoy', 2008
Painted bronze, 9-7/8 x 7-7/8 x 7-1/2 inches (25 x 20 x 19 cm)
Toby Christian, 'Pebble', 2007
Marble, 3/4 x 1-1/8 x 3/4 inches (2 x 3 x 2 cm)
Toby Christian, 'Empty Plinth', 2009
MDF, filler, acrylic paint, 39 1/2 x 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in (100 x 30 x 30 cm)
"What you see is what you see." In 1964, this phrase by American artist Frank Stella exemplified the minimalist movement, and became Art History. Today, young sculptor Toby Christian (born 1983, lives and works in London) seriously questions this quote. In fact, for most of his works, what you see is especially not what you see: a pebble is made of marble (Pebble, 2007, marble), a buoy is made of bronze (Buoy, 2008, painted bronze), etc.
The artist appropriates objects from the daily life, so banal they become invisible, and reveals with humor their aesthetic charge. He also works on the commonplaces of vernacular architecture and design. In Toby Christian's works, the plinth is often the work itself, as with Empty Plinth (2009, MDF, filler, acrylic paint). As the artist says: "Plinths are supposed to be invisible but they are also like sculptures [...]. I'm interested in things that are supposed to be invisible." (Interview with Coline Milliard on the occasion of his solo show Stage Hands, Fold Gallery, London, 2009).
His pieces create a parallel universe, by hijacking and constantly reinterpreting the codes of sculpture and by this way blurring the marks of the art amateur. Besides being a big fan of plaster, Toby Christian questions the culture norms - using such clichés as the Aladdin lamp (Lamp, 2008, patinated and polished bronze) or the marble bust (Bust, 2008, Marble). He also twists the encounter between objects and materials which were not supposed to ever meet - what about a marble snowball or a bronze ingot? All in all, Toby Christian's experimentations keep a final touch of irony that gives them their entire savor.
The artist questions sculpture in its ontology, leaving the viewer in front of his mysterious creations: is it real? Should I trust the aspect of this object? Artifice is an end and an aim in itself and one finally finds oneself in front of an expanding blob, threatening the visitor to overwhelm him. But isn't it what art is supposed to do anyway - overwhelm us?
To view his profile page on Saatchi Online click here, and visit the artist's own website, www.tobychristian.com.
Daria de Beauvais
After working in Venice (Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice Biennale) and in New York (Museum of Modern Art, ICI), Daria de Beauvais is now based in Paris, where she works as a curator at the Palais de Tokyo as well as an independent curator.
)
)
)