Thursday Salute to Originals: Fiberglass Resin Skulls

Do you remember learning about the French catacombs in Paris in your history classes? We’re introducing you to artist Ron Mueck this week, whose latest work is reminiscent of the many skulls and skeletons one would encounter in the catacombs. Only his are larger than life…

We also probably should have mentioned that Ron’s skulls are a lot less creepy and morbid than what lies inside the Paris catacombs. Oops! A few other differences of significance:

  1. Ron’s installation, Mass, is located above ground in Melbourne, Australia
  2. It consists of only 100 skulls standing three feet tall
  3. Mass is not nearly as old as those in the catacombs
  4. They are not real skulls – phew!

Instead, Ron created each skull out of resin and fiberglass. The skulls fill an entire room at the National Gallery of Victoria, and they’re randomly placed throughout the room and often stacked upon one another.

Today we’re saluting Ron Mueck for his eerily cool installation! If you had to choose – Would you rather walk amongst 100 resin skulls, or lurk deep below the streets of Paris where thousands of real skeletons lie? The choice is clear for us… we choose Mass!

Sources: Ron Mueck, This is Colossal