sculpture

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Art

A Giant Aluminum Snake Skeleton Rises from a Pool of Water at the Queensland Art Gallery

Currently on view at the Queensland Art Gallery is Ressort, a 174-foot (53 meter) aluminum and stainless steel snake skeleton by French/Chinese contemporary artist Huang Yong Ping. The twisting metal sculpture was commissioned for the Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at QAGOMA which is the only major exhibition that focuses exclusively on contemporary art from Asia, the Pacific and Australia. The snake plays a prominent role in much of Ping’s artwork, as the symbol of the serpent is generally considered a good omen in Chinese culture. You can see much more of the artist’s work over at Kamel Mennour gallery. (via my modern met)

Art

New Hyperrealistic Sculptures by Ron Mueck

Ron Mueck’s Studio, January 2013. Photo by Gautier Deblonde.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Hyperrealist sculptor Ron Mueck works in the realm of the ultra-real where he spends hundreds of hours perfecting the shape of the human form, the appropriate color of skin, and the most realistic hair texture. All of his efforts culminate in incredibly lifelike figurative sculptures with one small (or large) exception: the artworks are often gigantic or miniaturized, resulting in an uncomfortable “does not compute” moment when trying to comprehend exactly what you’re looking at. Each sculpted person is as bizarre as it is amazing, in part because of the raw intimacy portrayed in their faces, as if we are somehow witnessing the documentation of a private moment.

Ron Mueck’s Studio, January 2013. Photo by Gautier Deblonde.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Photo by Thomas Salva courtesy Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain.

Like several other hyperrealist sculptors Mueck began his sculpting career in entertainment where he started work as a puppeteer, creating models and puppets for children’s movies and TV shows. Most notably he worked on Jim Henson’s film Labyrinth and even provided the voice for the character Ludo. In 1996 he made the switch to fine art and quickly rose to prominence with exhibitions at the Royal Academy and the National Gallery in London.

Last month Mueck unveiled three new works at the Fondation Cartier in Paris as part of an exhibition that runs through September 29th, including the extraordinary Couple Under an Umbrella shown above. You can watch the video to get a little more perspective on just how large this artwork really is. All images above courtesy Fondation Cartier. (via my amp goes to 11)

Art

Neon Swing & Bird Cage by Su-Mei Tse

Swing is a 2007 kinetic sculpture by Luxembourg musician, artist and photographer Su-Mei Tse. If you’re like me you can’t wait to jump on for a ride, however it would all be over before it started as the entire piece is essentially a rigid light made of white neon tubes and controlled by a motor embedded in the ceiling. Watch the video above to see it installed at Peter Blum gallery back in 2009 along with her neon bird cage. (via 2headedsnake, mithril, yiping lim)

Art

Mobile Mirrors: Manequins Covered in Mirror Shards by Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen

As part of her Mobile Mirrors exhibition at Christian Larsen gallery in Stockholm, artist Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen created a series of four reflective mannequins clad in shards of mirrors. Light was projected onto each sculpture creating a twinkling halo effect not unlike a disco ball, as a person wearing a similarly reflective body suit moved through the space. The exhibition was intended as commentary on consumerism; just as we project ourselves onto mannequins, Rasmussen’s is attempting to use the same object to reflect back on ourselves. Via Christian Larsen Gallery:

The mirror surfaces of the mannequins turn our gaze back onto ourselves, forcing us to become aware of our own bodies and consumption habits. This way revealed, we can see ourselves as part of a much larger system, as complex and chaotic as ever the sculptures’ reflections on the walls.

You can see many more images from the exhibition over on Facebook. (via ex-chamber)

Art Illustration

Harmless Weapons Made of Plants by Sonia Rentsch

In her Harm Less series artist Sonia Rentsch defuses the powers of modern weaponry by constructing guns, grenades and bullets completely from organic objects. The shape and form of each piece are really convincing, yet I also enjoy the obviousness of each plant chosen to resemble various gun parts. If you’re reminded of Sarah Illenberger’s work, you’ll be happy to know Rentsch has had the opportunity to work with Illenberger in Berlin. Take a deep dive into her extensive portfolio of work over on her website. (via not shaking the grass)

Art

A Rainbow of Shoes and Legs for Breuninger by John Breed

Netherlands-based artist John Breed installed this whimsical leg rainbow in conjunction with German shoe salon Breuninger last year. The piece involved 145 multicolored shoes and legs that were eventually placed near the salon. See more on his website.