Marcel Duchamp, the supreme artist's artist, was often asked about his role in the making of art. The line of inquiry was inspired largely by the enigmatic Frenchman's series of "ready-mades," store-bought objects such as shovels or coat racks he exhibited under his name.
Duchamp is said to have an- swered critics of his seemingly detached approach by replying that it was not necessary to roll up one's sleeves in order to create. "The artist of the future," he predicted, "will simply point his finger."
Some of that future has now arrived in Tokyo with Karin Sander, who is showing new work at Gallery Koyanagi in Ginza. The 43-year-old German artist has brought a series of whole-body sculptures of people, but the funny thing is, Sander doesn't sculpt, exactly.