Allan McCollum’s Surrogates might appear at first glance to comprise mechanically produced objects. However, these sculptures are in fact made by hand following a methodical process: create a mold, cast it in plaster, then paint it with a smooth surface. Hung in groupings, McCollum considers the artworks almost theatrically, like props that can stand in for the larger context and tradition of how we “hang rectangles on our walls.” He describes the sculptures as stand-ins for “anything in a frame,” such as a painting, a family photograph, or a diploma. Rather than allow us to see the artwork, the picture, or the document, however, he offers us only a black rectangle—a void for our imagination to fill.
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