TOTEM: THE UNTOLD STORY OF SCULPTURE
By Jo Baring

In Totem, art historian and curator Jo Baring uncovers the untold story of sculpture, not through a traditional survey but by tracing how it has shaped and been shaped by human experience across cultures and millennia. From prehistoric artifacts like the Lion-man figure found in a German cave to to an ancient Mayan pyramid that conjures a serpent made of shadows, to the icons of the Italian Renaissance and the radical innovations of the twentieth century, Baring reveals how sculpture expresses power, loss, identity, and the need to make meaning through form. Along the way, she introduces us to the artists who have expanded sculpture’s possibilities—including Barbara Hepworth, Constantin Brâncuși, Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, and Antony Gormley—and revisits familiar works with fresh eyes.

Chapter 14, titled “Situations,” recounts a visit to Kishio Suga’s studio in April 2025 and reflects on the meaning of his work through discussions of Infinite Situation I (window) (1970) and Law of Situation (1971).

Physical description: 

Hardcover; 352 pages
Text in English
Edinburgh: Canongate Books, 2026
24.5 x 16 x 3.5 cm

ISBN 978-1-83726-523-7