Antony Gormley

I saw this piece when I visited Tate Liverpool in 2010. I was struck by the use of organic material and the ability for the material to change (mold). It focuses on a Life-Death-Life cycle, where the artist consumes the bread (negative space) and the material is left to decay. However, out of this transition bacteria have been able to grow and feed from this material leading to further break down.

The element of death is further emphasised by the pose of the human form (negative space) typical of the dead. I feel that this piece has a religious context too, especially as the artist is strongly Catholic or at least was brought up to be. This piece 'investigates the physical and spiritual relationship to the natural world...[and] the body [as] a physical container.'


http://channel.tate.org.uk/media/40034301001
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?workid=21315&tabview=text