About this artwork
This work is typical of Pollard’s playful exploration of materials and notions of concealment and artifice, which in turn question the status of the object. On initial inspection the two ‘stick’ figures appear to be constructed from fragments of ordinary graphite pencils, stuck together with blue-tack. In a Futurist-inspired capture of movement, one figure appears to have punched the other, bending it backwards. The figures are, however, cast in bronze and precisely painted to resemble the Staedtler pencils they masquerade as. Originally the figures were made of plaster but the artist decided to re-cast them in bronze to ensure their longevity.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Alex Pollard (born 1977) British
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title:Figures
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date created:2006
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materials:Oil and enamel on bronze
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measurements:23.00 x 24.00 x 3.50 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Purchased with the assistance of the Standard Life Gift Acquisitions Fund, 2007
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accession number:GMA 4824
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gallery:
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subject:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Alex Pollard
Alex Pollard
The work of Glasgow-based artist Alex Pollard centres on the act of making art, shifting the focus from the gallery space to the artist’s studio. He references and explores art historical ideas and movements, distorts conventions and toys with notions of revelation and concealment. His choice of media, which ranges from traditional oil paint and bronze, to lipstick and eyeliner, emphasizes this playful reconsideration of traditions and assumptions. Born in Brighton, Pollard studied at Glasgow School of Art from 1996 to 1999, before spending a year at both Goldsmith’s College, London, and the School of the Art Institute, Chicago. In 2005 Pollard represented Scotland at the 51st Venice Biennale. He is a PhD candidate at Goldsmiths College, London and a lecturer at The Glasgow School of Art and Wimbledon College of Arts. He lives and works in London.
