0077

Artist 

Aaron Sheppard

Acrylic, Spray Paint, Plaster on Wood

93 x 42 x 42 inches

About the Artwork 

This sculpture captures the sharp silhouette of a secret agent mid-stride—poised, stylish, and armed. But rather than glorify the familiar figure, the artist offers a poignant deconstruction. Crafted entirely from wood and painted in a palette of deep blacks , white and muted gold, the form appears fractured, abstracted, and hollowed out. It’s less a celebration of espionage cool than a meditation on time, identity, and the gradual disintegration of myth.

Through a clever manipulation of positive and negative space, the piece invites viewers to oscillate between recognition and loss. The tuxedo and weapon are unmistakable cultural shorthand, yet the figure is incomplete, riddled with gaps and asymmetries. The fragmented construction draws the eye into the voids-suggesting erosion, memory, and the diminishing power of once-immovable icons.

This is not the spy of peak youth and cinematic confidence. This is the spy in decline—older, perhaps slower, holding the pose but beginning to falter. The iconic stance is still intact, but it now feels like performance, ritual, or even burden. The piece explores the tension between public image and private reality: how even legends must one day reckon with age.

A golden, organic frame surrounds the figure like a memory loop—part glamour, part decay—evoking the cinematic imagery this archetype once commanded. But here, the frame functions as both container and constraint, emphasizing how the character has become trapped by his own legend.

Rather than immortal, the figure appears vulnerable, unraveling. In this bold, sculptural gesture, the artist challenges our attachment to permanence, asking what happens when cool fades, when the myth grows tired, and when the man underneath is finally allowed to age.

Price: $8,000