Keeping it (hyper) real

Queenie II, 1988 polychromed bronze with accessories

I’ve never been to America but I’ve got a general idea of what happens there. It’s a bit like England but with more Coca Cola and less tea.

So you’ll be surprised that I’m Duane Hanson’s biggest fan. I’ve been in love since I first saw a picture of his sculptures in an art textbook at school. His work reminds me of life in small-town America, well you know the small towns I’ve seen in films; the scenes of claustrophobia, boredom, two-faced neighbours and of course the outsider that comes in and messes it all up.

In that textbook Hanson’s work was described as ‘hyperrealist’. I’m guessing because it’s realer than real-life, like you’re looking at it with 3D specs on - no vein or blotch is left out.

To me there’s no ‘hyper’ in his work, it’s just real, too real if I’m honest.  I went to see his work at an exhibition that’s on in Paris at the moment. As soon as I walked into the gallery I felt more than a little uncomfortable. These ‘people’ were just getting on with their lives and there I was staring at them like I was at the London Zoo penguin enclosure. My brain started to acclimatise itself when I read the labels telling me they were made of bronze, vinyl and fibreglass.

Hanson specialised in social commentary, documenting everyday life, good and bad. I’m sure you could spend your whole life analysing the significance of his cheerleaders, drug addicts and builders with fancy-pant theories, but to me all that’s important is that the sculptures bring out some kind of feeling or memory from the viewer, as if they were stood in front of a real human.

My favourite was Queenie (pictured). I felt like I’d met her before. She reminds me of the many cleaners I met while staying late in the office. We’ve all been there, all your mates are in the pub. You’re still working on that report and your eyes are losing focus because you’ve been staring at the screen solidly for four hours. You swear. Bang your keyboard. Why can’t you get the table in this document to align properly?! This is possibly the worst day of your life.

Then Queenie arrives at the beginning of her shift. She throws you that look that says, ‘You think your life sucks? Get a grip princess.’

"The Imaginary Historian"