David Altmejd at the MAC

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In the workshop, it’s much more practical to work this way, with the head on a metal rod: all I have to do is move around it. It’s always at my eye level, so it’s at the right height. By being presented vertically, it is in a different relationship to the viewer. When a head is placed on a table, there’s a certain distance, as though you’re looking at another sort of object altogether. But when it’s a head facing us, it’s like a confrontation, like you’re looking at someone. It also gives the head a particular kind of power…

Epoxy clay, polystyrene, expandable foam, plaster, glass eyes, synthetic hair, assorted minerals including quartz, acrylic paint