Antony Gormley is one of the irrefutable leading names in English sculpture. He is widely acclaimed for his sculptures, installations and public artworks that investigate the relationship of the human body to space. His work has developed the potential opened up by sculpture since the 1960.

Antony Gormley, “Resting Place II”, 2024, terracotta, 132 figures, variable dimensions. Photo by Huang Shaoli, courtesy the Artist and GALLERIA CONTINUA, © the Artist
Gormley’s work over the years has taken on a monumental scope, focusing on the human figure, to be understood from a Vitruvian perspective, but at the same time without neglecting the linguistic signs that the historical avant-gardes have inoculated into our perception of the world: first of all fragmentation, secondly geometrization. Along this path he has also scattered his career with public works of great importance and expressive force. We remember a few: “Another Place” (Crosby Beach, England, 1997), “Angel of the North” (Gateshead, England, 1998), “Inside Australia” (Lake Ballard, Western Australia, 2002-03), “Exposure” (Lelystad, Netherlands, 2010), “Chord” (MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States, 2015) and “Alert” (Imperial College London, England, 2022).

Antony Gormley, “Resting Place II”, 2024, terracotta, 132 figures, variable dimensions, detail. Photo by Huang Shaoli, courtesy the Artist and GALLERIA CONTINUA, © the Artist
At the moment, Gormley, after having undertaken such a complex and in-depth journey, both in terms of knowledge of the materials and of the space with which to relate, arrives for the third time at the 798 Art District in Beijing, thanks to the complex logistical organization provided by Galleria Continua. The first appointment dates back to 2009 with the exhibition “Another Singularity”, the second refers to 2016 with “Host”, while today, with “Body Buildings” the author investigates the relationship that is established between the human species and the built environment, that is, with all those spaces created by man, such as buildings, roads and other infrastructures. “Resting Place II” is the central work of this project and is built in the form of a labyrinth within which visitors can move freely.

Antony Gormley, “Buttress”, 2023, cast iron, 176.8 x 54.5 x 67.2 cm. Photo by Huang Shaoli, courtesy the Artist and GALLERIA CONTINUA, © the Artist
The environment is littered with 132 life-size human bodies, and each of these is made of stacked terracotta bricks. The bodies are arranged in orthogonal positions and reproduce various postures: from sprawled relaxation to the fetal position, but it is obvious that the perception of the whole installation depends on the point of view: from inside, from outside, from above or from the floor. And the privileged position is not contemplated. Here Bernini was surpassed in the multiplication of signs and points of view. It also makes us think of an immense domino or a set of oversized tiles, but archaeological finds also come from memory which are generally found broken down and fragmented. On the other hand, Gormley also tackled archeology in his studies and, as they say, tout se tient. Terracotta is an important material for visual culture both in the West and in the East, and the use of this material for such an invasive installation is also intended to be a sort of homage to that age-old culture: the mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang with the terracotta procession that accompanied him on his last journey comes to mind.

Antony Gormley, “Circuit”, 2022, cast iron, 29.3 x 201.3 x 122.4 cm. Photo by Huang Shaoli, courtesy the Artist and GALLERIA CONTINUA, © the Artist
The exhibition is completed with two cast iron sculptures: “Circuit” and “Ally”, works that explore the analogies between urban infrastructures and urban relations. “Circuit” transforms these networks into a circulatory system shared by two bodies, while “Ally” uses enormous blocks of cast iron to test how two bodies can find mutual stability through a common gravity point. In some way we touch on the themes of closeness and intimacy, questioning how much the environment around us shapes human relationships. In contrast to these two works we find “Short” and “Shame”, where the body becomes an independent energy field that deviates from its gravity center, intentionally avoiding the postural gravity of the statues that are elevated as a manifestation of power.

Antony Gormley, cycle of drawings for the exhibition “Body Buildings”, Galleria Continua / Beijing, November 14, 2024 – February 14, 2025. Photo by Huang Shaoli, courtesy the Artist and GALLERIA CONTINUA, © the Artist
On the top floor of the gallery, with “Rule III” and “Buttress”, the author transforms the body structure into a reticulated scaffolding that recalls the skeletons of skyscrapers built with iron beams. These two bodies are covered in rust and rest on the walls, almost in search of their own setting. Finally, all these sculptures are accompanied by a series of drawings, made with the most unusual inks: mushroom, charcoal, casein. Gormley’s works have been exhibited all over the world and it really makes no sense to summarize this journey, therefore, this exhibition in Beijing, organized by Galleria Continua, should be considered as yet another recognition of the importance of his work.
Fabio Fabris
Info:
Antony Gormley, Body Buildings
14/11/2024 – 14/04/2025
Galleria Continua Beijing Art Dst. 798, 2 Jiuxianqiao Rd. Chaoyang Dst, Pechino
beijing@galleriacontinua.cn
https://www.galleriacontinua.com

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