Pierre le Riche, Study for The Grappling, 2025 (detail 1)
Pierre le Riche, Study for The Grappling, 2025 (detail 2)
Pierre le Riche South African, b. 1986
27 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.
74 x 84 cm.
29 1/8 x 33 1/8 in.
(Framed)
Further images
Study for The Grappling, 2025
Two figures bend and twist around each other. Their arms and legs overlap, making it difficult to tell whether they are struggling, embracing, or supporting each other.
The study examines the way physical gestures can communicate different emotions. An arm wrapped around another body might offer comfort or restraint, while a hand reaching outward could suggest either resistance or a desire for contact.
The close arrangement of the figures creates several smaller shapes where their limbs cross. These details are especially noticeable in the tufted surface, where the thickness of the yarn gives the figures a physical presence.
Exhibitions
Pierre le Riche
Online exhibition + Artsy
Intersections Revisited
October 15 - November 28, 2026