Mental Structure #20 (A Long Time Now) (2015)

Thomas J. Price works across film, photography and sculpture to convey issues of power, structure, representation and perception. Price explores complex issues of diversity and representation in both society and art. Part of his practice revolves around the viewers’ perception, challenging stereotypes, preconceptions and assumptions of the images he creates.

Price’s sculptures are fictional, mainly male and Black. They are amalgamated from a range of sources, from classical sculpture to individuals observed in the artist’s everyday life. The ‘Head’ series is an ongoing project since 2006 and features bronze busts situated on brightly coloured plinths. Head #13 is one of the earlier works to be acquired; the initial sculpting process was incorporated into the BBC documentary, How To Get A Head In Sculpture.

Mental Structure #19 (Just Beyond This) and Mental Structure #20 (A Long Time Now) were completed during a residency at the Nirox Sculpture Park, South Africa. Created in part from observations of the park staff and residents of Johannesburg, as well as in response to some of Price’s previous pieces and historical sculptural references, the works speak to the resilience of many of the people Price encountered during the residency, who were still having to navigate society following the end of apartheid. In these sculptures, the artist engages with a psychological understanding of our socially learned attitudes as well as the impact that the media and taught behaviours have upon our perception of other people.

The Collection and Usher Gallery has a particular interest in collecting contemporary art that explores concepts of authorship and reproduction, reflected in recent acquisitions through the Contemporary Art Society by Alan Kane and Oliver Laric. Price’s work in the collection will address this by engaging with and facilitating questions around representation within art and wider society.

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