Human Presence

Human Presence

This gallery reflects recent developments in artistic practice. The works use non-traditional materials, subjects and processes to explore the human body, either by showing it directly or by making its absence felt.

The impossibly beautiful bodies in Old Master paintings and sculptures come from a tradition in which artists attempt to create the ideal human form. The rise of abstract art in the 20^th century challenged the need to represent recognisable bodies, or even basic human anatomy.

Since the 1960s, artists have reclaimed the human form as a recurring theme, but they have questioned body ideals. Instead, they explore how we express our sexual, political, cultural and personal identities by using or presenting our bodies in particular ways.