Rachel Whiteread

The newly founded gallery Haunch of Venison inaugurates its opening with an exhibition by internationally acclaimed sculptor Rachel Whiteread. The exhibition and accompanying publication feature Whiteread's newest work, Untitled (Domestic), a massive sculpture cast from the fire escape staircases of Haunch of Venison's premises--a 3-storey building constructed in the late eighteenth century that was originally the home of Admiral Lord Nelson. Reincarnating the staircase in its negative form, the imposing white sculpture invokes the building's past while reflecting the artist's interest in the formal and purely architectural qualities of sculpture. This inaugural publication features installation views of the exhibition, including additional work dating from 1995 to the present day, as well as two amply illustrated essays and a complete bibliography. The first text considers Whiteread's immense public commissions in relation to their environment; the second outlines the history and techniques involved in creating the cast staircase sculptures.