Subject Matter

The sculpture depicts Catherine Long and Mat Fraser. Both disabled and acquainted as close friends, who had previously worked together, they were the most appropriate couple for this piece of work.

Catherine Long is a performance artist with a background in art therapies. She was born with only one arm and impaired hip and knee joints (perfect for this piece). Central to her practice is the paradox of trying to explain something that is inexplicable. The Kiss is reflected in the challenges faced in trying to communicate the personal physical experience and the tension between the individual body and the body in society. She hopes that the sculpture will “…evoke and challenge people’s perceptions of what they see as being beautiful or not beautiful.”

Count yourself lucky to chance upon this blog - here's a sneak peak into my art creation process:

I took a series of photographs of the models posing together and individual body casts.

Body casts are created in plaster, the body being covered in Vaseline to prevent hairs from being trapped and to protect delicate skin areas. Wet plaster bandages are layered over the Vaseline. The body is usually cast in sections. The process took many hours to complete. However, I was patient enough to see through the casting. Besides, the concept was too perfect to be aborted.

The casts were then sent to Italy where expert stone masons were commissioned to undertake the process of carving. The work is made from Macedonian marble, the same stone used by ancient Greek sculptors in some of their statues.

Contrary to some critics, I do not leave these stone masons alone to carve the sculpture. I carefully oversaw every stage of the carving process, giving the stonemasons detailed notes before the work was undertaken. When they were within a few centimeters of being completed, I took pains to inspect them again before the final cuts were made to ensure that every aspect was perfect.

This is my sculpture, my concept, my art.

Why mine's the Best

Auguste Rodin's The Kiss:

I do not doubt her techniques in rendering a detailed and realistic human sculpture. However, I believe that there ought to be more to art then merely creating a replica of reality. There ought to be a deeper meaning to the sculpture. Obviously my piece is more sophisticated than Rodin's as it touches on the stereotypical mindset of the public.

Constantin Brancusi's the Kiss:

Brancusi is more concerned with the simplification and abstraction of the figures. His materials are more primitive and rough (somewhat childlike) Mine's smooth and more organic, suggesting perfection and contributes to the irony and confusion in the viewers. Indeed there's more to  my sculpture - the tedious sculpting process and the irony.