Photos By Gail

Robert Therrien’s 2017 sculpture Soapy (Pink) , created from pigmented polyester resin, presents itself as an oversized bar of bubblegum-pink soap — smooth, minimal, and instantly familiar. But this is Therrien, so the domestic calm doesn’t last long. Emerging unmistakably from one corner of the sculpture is a baby’s face, molded directly into the form, transforming the object from playful to deeply strange in a single glance.

Known for enlarging everyday household items to unsettling scale, Therrien often used familiarity to lure viewers in before introducing something quietly disturbing. Here, the softness of the pink “soap” clashes with the uncanny presence of the infant face, suggesting themes of vulnerability, cleanliness, care, and discomfort all at once.

Cute, creepy, and impossible to ignore, Soapy (Pink) turns a humble bathroom staple into something surreal and faintly nightmarish — proof that even the gentlest shade of pink can have a dark side.

Photographed in The  Broad Museum in Los Angeles.