Tom Sachs
b. 1966, New York, NY
King Heroin
2011
Gold leaf and pyrography on wood panel
182.9 x 182.9 cm (72 1/8 x 72 1/8 in.)
Provenance
Private collection, acquired directly from the artist.
Description
Over the last three decades, Tom Sachs has established himself as one of the most innovative and thought-provoking sculptors, best known for his recreations of iconic feats of engineering and modern design. Using everyday materials such as plywood, duct tape and even phone books, Sachs's elaborate reconstructions of instantly recognisable consumer items, capitalist symbols, and engineering masterpieces are playful and often irreverent reflections on contemporary American culture and society, with its mass-produced materialism and pervasive 'capitalist ecosystem'.
Also central to Sachs's practice is the raw nature of his sculptures; he consciously retains all signs of the making and construction of his artworks, leaving seams visible and the sculptural components noticeably rough and unrefined. For Sachs, creative transparency is central to his works and to his philosophy, challenging the modern tendency towards an ever-cleaner and more 'perfect' consumer society.
As well as sculptures, Sachs has achieved renown for his paintings, such as this present work. King Heroin demonstrates another technique, alongside traditional painting methods, which Sachs incorporates in his works: 'pyrography', or wood-burning. Here, the artist has precisely and intricately burnt the wood panel with words, to transcribe the lyrics of the song King Heroin by American musician James Brown, released in 1972. Brown is a figure referred to in many of Sachs's works, and the lyrics of King Heroin emphasise the dangers of a heroin epidemic sweeping the US, undermining the idea of the 'American dream' and instead laying bare the social ills and disappointment of many in America at the time. By using the violence of fire to etch these words into a panel laid with lustrous gold leaf, Sachs heightens the irony and conflict between expectation and reality, intimating that capitalist and consumer society might not be as desirable and faultless as it is made to seem.
The artwork described above is subject to changes in availability and price without prior notice.
Where applicable ARR will be added.
Also central to Sachs's practice is the raw nature of his sculptures; he consciously retains all signs of the making and construction of his artworks, leaving seams visible and the sculptural components noticeably rough and unrefined. For Sachs, creative transparency is central to his works and to his philosophy, challenging the modern tendency towards an ever-cleaner and more 'perfect' consumer society.
As well as sculptures, Sachs has achieved renown for his paintings, such as this present work. King Heroin demonstrates another technique, alongside traditional painting methods, which Sachs incorporates in his works: 'pyrography', or wood-burning. Here, the artist has precisely and intricately burnt the wood panel with words, to transcribe the lyrics of the song King Heroin by American musician James Brown, released in 1972. Brown is a figure referred to in many of Sachs's works, and the lyrics of King Heroin emphasise the dangers of a heroin epidemic sweeping the US, undermining the idea of the 'American dream' and instead laying bare the social ills and disappointment of many in America at the time. By using the violence of fire to etch these words into a panel laid with lustrous gold leaf, Sachs heightens the irony and conflict between expectation and reality, intimating that capitalist and consumer society might not be as desirable and faultless as it is made to seem.
The artwork described above is subject to changes in availability and price without prior notice.
Where applicable ARR will be added.