CHARLES RAY (B. 1953)

"Charles Ray believed that sculpture was an intrinsically physical activity that needed to take place every day and that was connected with notions of self-reliance, as well as with athletic activities such as rock climbing and sailing. Adopting and engineering-like aesthetic that incorporated gravity, weight and balance as sculptural elements, Ray began a series of works centered on his own body"
(P. Schimmel, "Beside One's Self," Charles Ray, exh. cat., Los Angeles, 1998, pp. 66-67).