The back of my hand no. 1

In the early 1980s, the work of the British artist Richard Deacon and that of a few others was introduced as the ‘new British sculpture’. Deacon’s work is a counter-reaction to the conceptual sculpture of the previous generation in which the artist was essentially the one contriving the work of art, not necessarily the one executing it. In Deacon’s view, the creation of a sculpture cannot be dissociated from the actual skills of craftsmanship. He makes sculptures with organic curves, built up primarily of coiled lines. As in many sculptures dating from the 1980s, he uses curved steel and laminated hardboard. To underscore his dictum on artisanal skills, he makes sure that the joins in the material are clearly visible.

The wall sculpture The back of my hand, no. 1 is characterised by the use of colour and texture sample sheets, which function as literally separated areas and levels within the total configuration of the sculptures, although not in such a way as to be interpreted merely as individual images. The title of the work refers to the expression “I know it like the back of my hand”, using a comparison to familiarity with something that is personal and nearby.