Thomas Wiegand
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Book review of "On the Fragility of Being" in kasseler fotobuchblog |
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| For centuries plaster casts were the first choice for studying ancient sculptures. In art academies and museums, suitable collections were created in order to be close to the ideals of antiquity embodied within the three-dimensional object and to fathom their secrets. Presumably this type of reproduction has since gone out of fashion... in any case Amin El Dib (b. 1961) was able to make photographs of Skulpturhalle Basel’s collection of over 2,300 plaster casts over a period of years and has concluded this project with a book.
The square-format book is conspicuously large and tactilely intriguing—the representative image on the frontside has a high-gloss finish; the backside is covered in coarse linen fabric. The photos not only depict the sculptures but also reveal their museum surroundings. The main focus is of course not on how they are displayed but on the casts themselves. These not only convey the ideal naturalism of their ancient origins, but also their imperfections such as missing parts and cracks and, moreover, even the history of their casting including chipping, discoloration, damage from transport or casting seams. At times El Dib focuses his photographs in order to draw the eye toward certain constellations, which, whether intended or not by the curator’s installation, show the sculptures in silent interaction. The photographer interprets the materially fragile sculptures and their traces of use as an allegory of life par excellence, but also as a symbol for today’s museum-focused culture, which experienced a zenith during the period of classicism. The result, along with the ever-unmistakable indications of the present day—traces of restoration, the colored surfaces of the museum context, blurred information panels in the background, etc.—, is a fascinating multi-layered photographic work in the best tradition of the Pygmalion myth: El Dib conjured the plaster casts to life with photographic means and returned the muted casts to their origins, man in all his vulnerability. Thomas Wiegand, 2020 |
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