Daniel Arsham's Eroded Venus of Arles Infects Guimet Museum

Daniel Arsham's 'Grey Selenite Eroded Venus of Arles' (2019) is on view at the Musée national des arts asiatiques – Guimet in Paris as part of his carte blanche exhibition 'Moonraker', originally scheduled until January 25, 2021. The American artist (b. 1980) creates contemporary copies of classical sculptures, such as the Venus of Arles, which he casts from molds of museum replicas and then partially 'erodes' with crystals made of selenite or quartz. The Venus of Arles was originally discovered near the ancient theater of Arles in 1651 and is a Roman copy of a Greek statue later restored by François Girardon. Arsham's version evokes themes of contamination and planetary erosion, referencing the giant crystals of the Naica mine in Mexico and the COVID-19 pandemic. Other works in the exhibition include 'Blue Calcite Eroded Bust of Hercules Farnese' (2020) and 'Rose Quartz Eroded Body of the Female Divinity' (2020). The exhibition is presented in collaboration with Perrotin gallery.