We got visit Ron Mueck’s exhibition in Christchurch last month (exactly 1 month ago today). It is on at the Christchurch Art gallery until 23rd January so there is still time if you want to check it out.

I thought it was amazing the amount of detail and work that goes into these works. One thing that makes it a bit less creepy, is that none of these works are actual size. They are smaller or larger than us which makes it easier to examine without feeling like you are staring at another human being. It’s really worth going to because you just can’t get the same experience looking at photos. The realistic quality of the skin the texture, the colour etc. Each hair inserted individually, veins running underneath the skin.

I’m not usually a photographer of feet, but something about Mueck’s subject’s feet really struck me. The toes were expressive!

I’m sure most people that see this work asks the same question: how? Luckily there is a room with screens showing footage of the process. Fascinating stuff. More work than I imagined that there would be.

Here are some photos we took at the exhibition. Photography was permitted, just no flash so some of these are a little blurry.

Just the right amount of tension in the toes.

Hey baby!

I hear that big babies are hard to push out.

You can’t really tell from this photo because he’s closer to the camera, but this wounded man was much smaller than me. He’s standing on a pedestal so he is taller too (I’m standing on tippy toes).

Fantastic expression. He’s thinking, “Oi. What’s that?” Cautious, getting ready to be a bit repulsed.

I tried to get in his gaze, but I never really felt like he was looking straight at me. Not sure why.

This is how you are supposed to pose by the wild looking naked guy.

Look at the tension in the toes. This guy is uneasy about something.

From this angle she looks like a normal woman lying in bed. A little wary of my camera, but normal size right?

Wrong! She was massive and took up a big chunk of a vast gallery room. Huge! You could install a bathroom in her skull. Not that you would want to, coz that would be weird.

Some old little biddies.

A religious work?

No tension in the toes. Pure relaxation.

Is this food? Or a person?

I wish you could take in the scale of this chicken. It was almost 3 metres long.

A tiny woman trying to sleep.