Entering artist Wilfrid Wood’s sculpture studio in Hackney Wick is like stepping into the backstage of a music festival, or the afterparty of a film premiere. But here you don’t have to negotiate a deal with the bouncers to meet the likes of activist Greta Thunberg, rapper Pharrell Williams, or swimmer Michael Phelps. A gathering of gripping faces can be found resting inside the entrance’s set of closets. But celebrities are not the only agglomeration. A colorful range of firm modeling clay bars are congregated on the shelves, ready to be heated, together with a well-equipped tool kit containing robust DIY essentials such as saws and screwdrivers. The walls are slam-packed too, with cut-out references of all shapes and sizes. To name just a few, these include a numeric access code, a sealed pack of post-it index tabs, a quote by artist Jeff Koons that reads “I hate craft, craft is fetishism”, a newspaper cut out of Prince William’s face, a limited edition print from the artist’s very own 2018 “Playdesk” talk at Seven, a musical notation of the children’s song “Bluebottle Fly”, a collection of vintage buttons and a selection of images from iconic filmmaker John Waters and singer Kate Bush (who Wood listens to when he needs soothing). From all of his concealed and exposed goods, the essential items that Wood points out he cannot be without at his workplace are his phone charger and a human skull. Cadaverous or coloured, faces appear in any direction you look at, and sometimes they also get to look back at you!
