1/4/2004
Tony Cragg
Milliken, Stockholm
New Sculptures. The show will include works from the Early Forms series cast in bronze. Here the artist takes scientific laboratory containers and fuses them together as if the objects were mutated on the molecular level. The initial containers might be recognizable in the artwork yet there lies a much more dynamic final form
Milliken welcomes Tony Cragg to his first exhibition in Stockholm. While previously exhibited in Umea and Malmš this is his first large scale sculpture show in Sweden's capital. The show will include works from the Early Forms series cast in bronze. Here the artist takes scientific laboratory containers and fuses them together as if the objects were mutated on the molecular level. The initial containers might be recognizable in the artwork yet there lies a much more dynamic final form.
Also included in the exhibition are several pieces from the Rational Beings series, namely a bright 3.5 meter stainless steel piece and a bronze piece blackened with a patina finish. These two works are more closely related to forms occurring in nature and to human features similar to water flowing in a stream or the profile of a figure depending on ones interpretation.
Mr. Cragg has been creating sculptural works that begin with our ancient awareness and use of natural materials like wood, stone, and metal. He progresses with a dialogue between the physical manipulation of each material and the desire to formulate an understanding of a society that has fabricated objects like automobile parts and nuclear power plants. These are human made objects that our fast paced world hasn't had time to fully integrate into its subconscious. Simply, it's visual poetry that he is creating.
Tony Cragg's artwork has exhibited widely around the world. Exhibitions and awards include Whitechapel Art Gallery 1981, Kunsthalle Bern 1983, Louisiana Museum for Modern Art 1984, Brooklyn Museum of Art 1986, Turner Prize 1988, British Pavilion Venice Biennale 1988, Tate Gallery 1989, National Gallery of Prag 1995, Henry Moore Foundation 1996, National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea 1997, Tate Liverpool 2000, Malmš Konsthall 2001.
Milliken
Luntmakargatan 78 113 51 Stockholm Sweden
Open Wed - Sat 12 - 17