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Double Sink

A work made of latex and enamel on plaster, wood, wire lath, and steel.

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  • A work made of latex and enamel on plaster, wood, wire lath, and steel.

Date:

1984

Artist:

Robert Gober
American, born 1954

About this artwork

Double Sink is exactly what it seems—a domestic basin with holes where the taps typically go. Gober’s sink shows signs of being handmade and is missing the hardware and plumbing fixtures of a functional object. The discrete modifications to this now-functionless form suggest anthropomorphic associations: the dark holes resemble bodily orifices, and the softly curving corners and lip of the sink are likewise creaturely. An early example from the artist’s sink series (1983-86), Double Sink draws from Gober’s imagination as well as his memories and experiences of the first years of the AIDS epidemic. The object takes on an expressive role as a coded symbol of memory and loss, mystery and regret, humor and pathos.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Robert Gober

Title

Double Sink

Place

United States (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1984

Medium

Latex and enamel on plaster, wood, wire lath, and steel

Dimensions

83.8 × 152.4 × 68.6 cm (33 × 60 × 27 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Donna and Howard Stone

Reference Number

2015.646

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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