The Two Sculptured Sides of Barry X Ball and Matthew Barney

There are two things you may not be able to tell from looking at the above picture of "BXB Dual-Dual Portrait," by Barry X Ball. Number one: those are the faces of sculptor Barry X Ball and "Cremaster"-maker Matthew Barney. Number two: both hanging sculptures are made out of portoro marble and solid Portugese gold. Not surprising when you look through some of Ball's previous works (he even breaks down the steps of his process here); he's known to make solid stone look like a translucent veil. Still, there's something about the texture of this particular piece that made us initially think it was papier-mâché.

Aside from materials, we thought we had this piece pretty much digested--as in: the two-tone, happy face/sad face speaks to the duality of man, no? Well here's Ball's take:

"The composite figures richly embossed, in a manner reminiscent of late-renaissance milanese parade armor, with a cornucopia of silhouetted motifs: abrahamic ecclesiastical symbols, animals, decorative flourishes, and protuberant, warty, half-spheres...differing surface treatments keyed to the corresponding swag-draped corporeal flay strata: a glistening sheen for the splayed entrails, miniature horizontal flutes for the mid-level viscera, and gnarled, ridged, sfumato-esque soft-focus ornamental relief for the epidermis, with eyes, oral features, and the mutilated face gleaming, respectively, with a moist, lachrymal/salivary/mucosal polish, with mannered, attenuated, crown-like cranium-top shatter-burst exit-wounds." 

Maybe it helps to see it in person? You can in Paris next month; Ball has a solo show at Galerie Nathalie Obadia from March 17 - May 16, 2012.

Ahem, though maybe not planning on being in Paris next month but want to take a stab at one-upping Mr. Ball (and subsequently, his muse Mr. Barney)? 3rd Ward's got classes for that.

Meanwhile, hit the jump now for a couple more crucial shots of the piece.