This body of work is significant in being the first etchings Gormley produced. The impressions are taken from the artist’s body – the five main orifices and the hands, knees, forehead and spine. A series of positive and negative shapes connect the interior and exterior space of the body, suggesting a metaphorical relation with the natural world. Printmaking relates directly to Gormley’s sculptural practice. The artist has said: “I have tried to make a bridge between the inner and outer worlds to bring light to weight and weight to light and these prints are a continuation of that attempt”.
Anthony Gormley
Body and Soul, 1990
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Antony Gormley, Body and Soul 1, 1990, etchings on paper