Body Sculpture: Jordan Wolfson

Artist Jordan Wolfson is emblematic of the time in which we live.

As we grapple with our relationship to technology, our immersion in internet culture, and social issues of racial and gender inequality, alienation, and violence, Wolfson confronts us with their images, actions, and effects. His works act as witnesses on the world we are in right now rather than taking a moral position or articulating a particular point of view. They are therefore often uncomfortable to experience, as well as being deeply intriguing in their extraordinary visual power and technical sophistication.

Body Sculpture is the first work by Wolfson to enter an Australian collection. In this publication, the National Gallery has gathered robust ideas, facilitated discussions, and sought unique perspectives that position Wolfson’s major work within diverse contexts, including art history, cybernetics, and media theory. Contributors include Mark Setrakian, Wolfson’s principal collaborator; Richard Taylor of Wētā Workshop; Russell Ferguson, a curator, writer, and longtime observer of Wolfson’s work; Genevieve Bell and Andrew Meares from the Australian National University School of Cybernetics; and artist Anne Imhof. The publication’s creative vision has been driven by the artist and features stunning documentary photographs by David Sims and design by Joseph Logan.

Russell Storer is Head of International Art at the National Gallery of Australia.