Hyper Real: 50 Years of Hyperrealist Sculpture at National Gallery of Australia

The National Gallery of Australia in Sydney will present 'Hyper Real: Sculpture 1973–2017' from October 20, 2017 to February 18, 2018. The exhibition traces 50 years of hyperrealist sculpture and its engagement with the human body, featuring around thirty artists from the 1960s onward. Pioneers include George Segal (life-size plaster casts of everyday gestures), Duane Hanson (stereotypes of American culture with fast-food and tour-bus middle class), and John De Andrea. Later generations include Spanish artist Juan Muñoz, Belgian Berlinde de Bruyckere, Italian Maurizio Cattelan, and Australian Ron Mueck. The show moves beyond mere replication, exploring human existence, emotions, flaws, and frustrations. Hyperrealist sculpture emerged from American Pop Art, using laborious processes and innovative materials. While early artists obsessively reproduced the body, later generations focus on narrative and the relationship between figure and space.