Tom Price makes bronze sculptures of black men. Sometimes his figures are naked, sometimes clothed. He plays with scale, making both enormous and small men.
Sometimes he just makes a tiny head, with a perfect weave of corn rows across its gleaming scalp. Walking towards it is a disorientating experience. But then he looms up suddenly and his size is intimidating. He reflects power and powerlessness at the same time. His figures are not portraits of a real people but invented characters. Always black men, made using the materials and methods of traditional sculpture.
How we feel when we look at each other, and the snap judgements we might make. And at how Greek and Roman and neo-classical sculpture represented the male.
A series of small nudes, about two-feet high, stand on plinths in the indoor galleries. These figures have paunches and slouched postures, rather than the puffed-out and muscular chests of heroes. An inward gaze on their weary faces makes them appear sad. They seem older and could be mistaken for historical nudes until you notice a pair of cheap loafer shoes, or a bulky wristwatch, which shifts the figure into the present.
These details humanise them, bringing them to life. The plinths they stand on are antique but a layer of neon Perspex makes it clear the work is contemporary. In the same room, a series of miniature heads stand on tiny, brightly coloured plinths.
