Ron Mueck

• Born: 1958
• Nationality: Australian
• Movement: Hyperrealism, contemporary sculpture

Ron Mueck makes sculptures of people that look incredibly real. Every pore, wrinkle, and hair is there. But here's the thing: they're never life-sized. They're either huge or tiny, which makes them feel strange and a bit unsettling.

Before becoming an artist, he made models and puppets for movies like Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. You can tell he knows his craft.

What I like about his work is how the size changes how you see it. A giant newborn baby or a huge man sitting in a boat makes you really stop and look at the human body in a new way.

He's very private and rarely talks to the press. Each sculpture takes months or years to finish, and he only makes a few per decade.