Ron Mueck: Encounter Solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of New South Wales

Since first revitalising figurative sculpture in the late 1990s with his exquisitely crafted realism, Ron Mueck (born Melbourne, 1958) continues his profound observation of human experiences and emotions. His captivating figures, scaled from the minute to the monumental, embody themes such as birth and death, alienation and togetherness, tenderly inviting us to explore our relationship with the world.

Ron Mueck: Encounter is the largest exhibition by the artist ever to be presented in Australia, and comprises sculptures drawn from across the globe, most never before seen in this country. At its heart is a new immersive work created for the occasion, Havoc. Enigmatic, menacing and intense, this is a monumental work of disquieting power that draws us in to an intimate and ominous space.

This exhibition invites the viewer to form relationships with Mueck’s sculptures through encounters that are viscerally physical. Drawing the artist’s past sculptures into dialogue with the new, the show reflects on the sensitivity and significance of Mueck’s work within our tense and anxious contemporary times.