The Easel

20th April 2021

New tricks, but this show still finds the soul in everyday objects

Whiteread sculpts household objects – hot water bottles, chairs and once, famously, the inside of a terrace house. Her first post-pandemic show comprises derelict sheds, made from reclaimed materials and painted deathly white – “mortal remains, like piles of bones”. These “unsettling” works share a family resemblance to Whiteread’s previous work – revealing the marks that life leaves on things. They are masterpieces, says one critic – “great lockdown art”.