Talking Points: Thomas J Price
Does the way we display artwork change how we think about it?
Thomas J Price makes large sculptures of people we might see in everyday life. By making them much bigger than us and placing them on public display, he asks us to stop, look and think about the role of figurative sculptures and why some people are given more importance than others.
Watch the videos below and use the following questions to explore Thomas J Price’s work.
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Thomas J Price
Thomas J Price is a sculptor who questions the types of people that have traditionally been made into a sculpture and displayed on a plinth. Price is interested in making sculptures of anonymous people – people who are no one and everyone at the same time. By doing this he asks us as viewers to question: What is the purpose of sculpture? How do my figures speak to you?
Reaching Out
The Space In-Between
Ordinary Men
Questions to Ask Children
What do you think that the artist is trying to say with the sculptures?
Do you like the sculptures?
How do you think the artist makes the sculptures?
Describe the different types of plinths that the artist uses.
Why do you think the artist has chosen different plinths for different sculptures?
This Talking Points Is Used In...
using sketchbooks to make visual notes
Show me what you see
