Proposals is the working title of Ullman’s current ongoing project.
It consists primarily of works created by gradually casting white plaster into layered molds; mounted on top of white formica.
These colossal-fragile low reliefs sit in an estranged vacuum between two and three dimensions - between ‘raised’ paintings and ‘flattened’ sculptures. The minimal difference between matt white plaster and glossy white formica creates a visual effect which gives each image a ghostly presence.
'A proposal for a monument to myself as I wish to be remembered’ (2018)
Is a timely and timeless narrative allegory about inevitable collapse. It unravels through a sequence of four mammoth-size low plaster reliefs. Each relief depicts a ‘scene’ in the ‘life’ of a sculpture - Ullman’s self portrait posing as a hybrid between two of the world's most famous classic sculptures - Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and August Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ - Together these represent the highest forms of Western cultures achievements and values.
Scene 1 - ‘Embryo’:
Depicts a ‘negative’ of the image depicted in scene 2. Like an embryo in a womb, the finished sculpture’s full form lay encased inside a large block.
Scene 2 - ‘Glory’:
like Sandro Botticelli ‘The Birth of Venus’ the finished form appears to have emerged fully formulated…
However, a fatal mistake was made when this sculpture was initially erect - the sculpture’s center of mass deviates at a barely noticeable 3% angle from that of its’ base. Like a ticking time bomb, gravity pulls down at the top of this massive icon...
Scene 3 - ‘Collapse’:
The decisive moment of this sequence - eventually the sculptures gives in at its weakest point - the ankles.
Scene 4 - Forever:
What once was a perfect form, now lay bare, broken and shattered on the ground.
Forever, it will remain in this state - a distant reminder of the glory which it once held.
