CHARLES ROBB

In linguistics ‘filled pauses’ are words or sounds that mask interruptions to the flow of speech: uh, um, er, etc. As the somewhat contradictory term suggests, a ‘filled pause’ represents a failure of communication that simultaneously communicates an impression of hesitation, doubt and a lack of mastery. Charles Robb’s practice reflects his interested in sculpting the kinds of unintentional expressions he notices in his studio mirror during the modelling process: expressions such as concentration, tiredness or doubt. At first incidental and fleeting, these expressions subsequently become highly rehearsed, practised over and over in the mirror until a resemblance has been achieved in plasticine. In effect, these expressions are the facial equivalent of the ‘filled pause’ – gestures that mask the absence of any clear content. The architectonic certainty of the portrait bust and its base provides a backdrop against which the diffidence of these expressions (like the precariousness of the plaster bucket leftovers that accompany them) can be observed. What results is not simply a portrait of the artist, but a portrait of a practice.