Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture

At just under 700 pages, this book is an object in its on right. Getting to the core of contemporary sculpture, examining meaning and representation. The title taken from the H.G. Wells novel, The Shape of Things to Come (1933), is an extraordinary book. It imagines the future only to re-examine the present with ultimate scrutiny, anxiety and sorrow for the dystopian state of affairs.

In the introduction, Dailey invites you to regard the sculptures in this book, as if you were a visitor from a future generation. Clearly this would evoke some questions. What does this work say about us? What would future generations say about the way we make art? How would they represent our society?

The Shape of Things to Come is the definitive book on contemporary sculpture. It invites dialogue and opens the forum for debate. It might weight your bookshelf down, but definitely worth the gamble. This book is published in conjunction with a major show at the Saatchi Gallery, which runs until September 2009.

Cherie Federico