Land Sea and Air I 1979

Antony Gormley invites us to contemplate elemental forms in Land Sea and Air I, made of lead. These forms, somewhere between rocks and celestial bodies, hum with potential. They are clearly made by hand, you can see the seams that construct the surface, a method akin to dress-making. The subtle surface textures of the lead draw you in, each piece marked differently. I keep imagining Gormley welding, hammering, and coaxing the metal, his process visible. I’m thinking of Eva Hesse when I look at these. Hesse’s latex pieces share a similar interest in the tactile and the handmade, although there’s something rugged about Gormley, a stoicism that feels very British. These simple shapes, divided into segments, hold a powerful tension, suggesting both the earthbound and the infinite. Art’s so cool because it doesn't need to choose! It’s a conversation, one idea leading to another, echoing across time.