Presence & Absence: New Works by Tom Price

Beginning with unexpected materials and dramatic installations, English artist Tom Price intrigues and delights. Presence & Absence displays new work, created specifically for the Nelson-Atkins, in Price’s first major US solo exhibition.

Inspired by the volcanic ash encrusted body casts found in the ancient city of Pompeii following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, Price explores the dual concepts of presence and absence. He was moved by the paradox that the physical bodies of the inhabitants were simultaneously destroyed and preserved by this cataclysmic event.

For the cast bodies, Price chose coal as his casting material. The material reinforces the sense of history and nature’s power; carbon being one of the fundamental elements of our universe. Price connects the basic building blocks of life to the past and the present, as the casts record the momentary presence of his models; made permanent in their absence.

Also included in the exhibition are Price’s experimentation and transformation of resin. Slabs and blocks of resin dazzle and perplex as Price forces the resin to over-heat, split and melt lumps of tar. Although it appears that there are additions, they are actually voids and cracks–both presences and absences.

In all of his projects, Price engages, enchants and transports his viewers to new places.

This exhibition is supported by Belger Cartage Service, Inc., the Campbell-Calvin Fund and Elizabeth C. Bonner Charitable Trust for exhibitions, and the Rheta A. Sosland Fund.