My hands are my heart
or my heart is my hand
hiding the fingers
in the soft of my palm.
You cannot read
the lines on my palms, but feel
the strength in my arms.
I am the clay man with strong muscles
sitting in front of a kitchen table
in New York, in Mexico, in Paris.
I strip tyres,
I decorate skulls,
I scavenge,
I jumble-tumble.
I’m difficult.
Life is a solo act,
a casual scooter in Berlin,
a bad rehearsal.
The shoe box doesn’t count.
Gabriel Orozco is a Mexican artist who has been named ‘one of the most influential artists of this decade’, and his works are marked by wit and playfulness. He has participated in the Venice Biennale for three times and is represented by Marian Goodman Gallery.
Tate Modern is hosting his first major UK retrospective until 25 April.
Review by Jackie Wullschlager, FT
