Richard Wentworth
Lung, 2019Concrete lintel, book and assorted materials60 × 35 × 40 cm (23 5⁄8 × 13 25⁄32 × 15 3⁄4 inches)
This work points to Richard Wentworth’s interest in language and etymology, where elements whose name is unknown or simply does not exist, are placed inside a thesaurus. The arrangement of this basic element of language together with a basic element of construction makes reference to the world’s configuration systems; furthermore, the fact that it is an English-Spanish dictionary alludes to what Wentworth calls the “accident” of having learned Spanish during his childhood.
Richard Wentworth has played an important role in the development of British sculpture since the late 1970s, repositioning the readymade (industrial objects, either bought or found) into disarmingly poetic and curiously metaphysical works.