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Rachel Whiteread  born 1963

Rachel Whiteread Untitled (Air Bed II) 1992
© Rachel Whiteread
Untitled (Air Bed II)  1992

Polyurethane rubber
object: 1220 x 1970 x 230 mm
sculpture

Purchased with assistance from the Patrons of New Art through the Tate Gallery Foundation 1993

T06731
Whiteread's sculptures are casts of carefully chosen objects, most of which bear the traces of human use. She most often casts the 'negative' spaces around these objects, which then become the 'positive' form of the sculpture. Often the objects recall poignant events; her recent group of bed casts can be associated with sleep, illness and dying. This work adds another dimension to the group of bed casts, with its combination of solid sculptural form and associations of air-filled fragility. Here, the mould containing the air mattress during the casting process has become part of the work, enclosing the Lilo within its box-like shape.
 (From the display caption August 2004)