Rachel Whiteread Sculptures and Place Space, Fullness Concepts

Abstract

Sculpture can be defined as a three-dimensional shaped object in space in the classical sense. Some concepts such as space, place, and fullness that have come to the fore with this definition have become important issues for artists especially after the 20th century. The use of void as a plastic element has been considered by modern artists such as Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and consciously used void as plastic value. However, the British artist Rachel Whiteread, born in 1963, approached the gap and fullness differently from other artists and made the spaces visible by filling the empty parts of the spaces and objects with materials such as plaster, polyester, resin. She created the negative-positive contrast by filling the empty spaces of the second-hand objects where there are memories in Daily life such as places where there are experiences in his sculptures, objects that people used before, stair intervals, bed mattresses, thermophore, and he focused the viewer on the experiences of spaces and objects. The artist, who embodies the form of emptiness rather than seeking form in his Works, won the Turner Prize for her original style. In this study, Whiteread’s interpretation of place and her sculptures which are described as hearted minimalist are discussed.