NURIA FUSTER
Alcoy, Spain, 1978

Pulmón (Lung), 2008
Metal, oil cloth, rubber and plastic
70 x 90 x 73 cm
Gift of the artist 2009

Juxtaposing found objects —oil cloth coveralls, a sheet of rubber protective fabric, and the metal frame of a folding chair— Nuria Fuster creates an anthropomorphic sculpture that bears resemblance to a human being at rest. One first thinks of a classical sculpture, and how this work almost functions as a negative, as a ghost of sorts: the human figure is absent, while the protective clothing gear evokes a second skin, one that would functions as a shield for a human being to be able to operate in a hostile environment. The position of that oil cloth body nevertheless implies a more leisurely moment.

Pulmón also refers to the essential act of breathing, maybe alluding to the rhythm that unites these otherwise three unrelated objects and formulates a narrative. Each object is augmented by the other; altogether, the assemblage becomes a sculpture in and of itself. This piece exemplifies the formal research of Nuria Fuster’s earlier work, which dynamic was established by the selection of one object which then led to the one of others to shape the final form of the piece.