Ron Mueck was born in Melbourne in 1958. In his youth, he experimented with puppetry and model making, influenced by his parents’ work as toymakers.

In the mid-1980s he worked in America on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, before relocating to London where he created special effects and animatronics for films including Dreamchild and Labyrinth.

In the 1990s, his work captured the attention of Charles Saatchi, a major private collector based in London, who commissioned and collected Mueck’s sculptures.

Mueck was included in the controversial exhibition Sensation at the Royal Academy, London, in 1997.

Mueck’s Pregnant woman is a significant work from Mueck’s oeuvre and is on loan to Bendigo Art Gallery from the collection of the National Gallery of Australia.

Mueck's sculptures faithfully reproduce the minute detail of the human body, while also playing with scale to produce disconcertingly jarring visual images.

This incredible larger-than-life sculpture is accompanied by two of Mueck’s models for the head of the figure, made from silicone and plaster, and two preparatory sketches, as well as a short documentary revealing the process of construction for this piece and other works by the artist.

Pregnant woman was purchased by the National Gallery of Australia (NGA)  in 2003 with the generous support of Tony and Carol Berg..

Pregnant woman has quickly become one of the most popular works at the NGA.

The sculpture is a contemporary portrayal of motherhood, making reference to universal themes such as fertility, birth, the goddess, the iconography of the Madonna and Child, and to life itself.

Mueck's ability to portray the monumentality and strength of a pregnant woman, as well as her vulnerability and emotional intensity, creates a powerful connection between the work and the viewer.

Mueck's process and techniques are a source of fascination, and his meticulous observation of the skin's surface is captivating: the pores, follicles of hair, and the shadows of veins just beneath the skin all appear convincingly real, and add to the intensity of the experience for the visitor.

Although intensely private, Mueck has enjoyed considerable international renown.

He has been included in a number of important survey exhibitions in Australia and internationally.

Mueck currently lives and works in London.

Pregnant woman and the supporting objects will be on display at the gallery throughout the summer, concluding on February 21.

For more information about Bendigo Art Gallery’s exhibitions, programs and events go to www.bendigoartgallery.com.au