The Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale is one of the largest art festivals in the world. As part of the 2024 edition, the Triennale has commissioned a new sculpture by Gormley titled Man:Rock V (2024). Here, a body quietly clasps a naturally formed stone and conforms to its shape. The work holds a trace of the artist’s body on its surface; a single continuous line on the cusp between drawing and the promise of form.
Sited within the former Koryu shrine in Nakajao, Tokamachi, Gormley’s Man:Rock V is returned to the elements, placed among trees, wild plants and stone. It asks us to reflect on the dependency between humankind and the earth, and our roles as co-inhabitors and creators of this planet.
