Juxtaposition

Creepy but effective pairing of two sculptures at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Both works were made of wood and show tortured and emasculated young men made 500 years apart.

The hyper-real one shown here “Action 125” was made by Irian born artist Reza Aramesh in 2011 and shows an anonymous Iraqi prisoner of war who was subjugated by American forces in 2003 at the start of the Iraq War.  This was paired with a St Sebastian from about 1525 by Spanish artist Alonso Berruguete which uses takes a similar heightened naturalist approach. I love these 16th century Spanish sculptures.

Bringing these figures together made interesting parallels about how times don’t change from the idea that young men still become victims of war to how artists influence each other over the centuries. It was a good example where just two pieces in a display enhance and inform each other.

Closes 31 December 2021