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Mixed Media Sculptures by Michael Alm Convey the Sinuous Nature of Animal Muscles
“Jack Rabbit (Lepus Californicus)”, 2014, wood and glass eyes, 20 x 23 x 7 inches
Seattle-based sculptor Michael Alm forms lifelike animal sculptures from carved and shaved wood, often adding realistic features such as glass eyes to complete the anatomical studies. The works imitate the natural gestures of the animals he sculpts, such as “Jack Rabbit (Lepus Californicus),” which captures the animal mid-stride.
By presenting the animal in movement we are better able to see the tension explored through thin wood strips that gracefully cross over and under each other like muscular fibers. “The gaps in the veneer accentuate the tension in the form while lightening the visual weight of the creature,” he tells Colossal. “In this piece (Jack Rabbit), I’ve highlighted the elements which contribute directly to the animal’s movement and eliminated any excess. As a result, the form looks both strong and delicate much like the animal itself.”
Alm is also a furniture maker by trade, and the byproducts of this work serves as the bulk of the material for his sculptures. After milling wood he has plentiful strips to reuse in his sculptures. “These strips are extremely flexible and when layered up they remind me of muscle and sinew,” he continues. “The more I played with this material, the more I realized the amazing number of ways it could be used.”
You can view more of his work on his website and Instagram and get a behind-the-scenes look at how he constructs his sculptures on Youtube.
“Jack Rabbit (Lepus Californicus)”
“Jack Rabbit (Lepus Californicus)”
Creation of “Jack Rabbit (Lepus Californicus)”
Creation of “Jack Rabbit (Lepus Californicus)”
“Anatomical Bird Wing”, 2014, wood, 16 x 6 x 2 inches
“Burrow”, 2016, wood, 20 x 24 x 9 inches
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Art
Elongated Wooden Sculptures by Kiko Miyares Bring a Surreal Perspective to Figural Forms
Artist Kiko Miyares carves and colors stretched, distorted sculptures of the human figure. The Spanish sculptor often focuses on the head and shoulders of his subjects, with each bust combining realistic renderings of facial feature with a dramatically narrowed shape that makes the works appear to be squeezed or warped. In some works, elements of the elongated sculptures are fractured, creating surreal doubling of torsos, heads, and arms. Miyares often shows his busts in groups, to create striking and perception-altering vignettes. Although the skewed works are best viewed in the round (like in the video below), each photographed angle provides a new and fascinating look into the the artist’s boundary-pushing portraits. You can see more of Miyares’ figural sculptures on his website and Instagram. (via Hi-Fructose)
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Art Photography
Wire Sculptures of Hands and Faces Come to Life When Overlaid with Digital Elements by Yuichi Ikehata
Yuichi Ikehata combines photography, sculpture, and digital editing to create hybrid works that meld together reality and his own fictionalized interpretation. The eerie humanoid forms are pierced with holes that reveal rudimentary structures below their plaster-like skin, making each appear to be in varying states of decay. To create these digital manipulations, Ikehata first photographs his own body in different poses. Using wire, he then three-dimensionally recreates its form in simple structures. Finally, the artist adds parts of his original image onto the sculpture through digital editing, reintroducing a fractured reality to the wire imitation. You can see more of his work on his website, Instagram, and Tumblr. (via Hi Fructose)
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Art
A 3D-Printed Human Skull Created from a Pixelated Watercolor Painting by Adam Lister
Adam Lister (previously) is known for his watercolor renditions that transform famous artworks and pop culture icons into the style of retro video games. His most recent project is a sculptural object inspired by the form and color of one of his previous paintings. The limited edition work is an “8-bit” version of a human skull formed from 3D-printed plaster. The piece is a collaboration between Lister and Unique Board, a company that creates limited edition 3D-printed sculptures with artists from around the world.
Lister also recently collaborated with Budmen Industries to create another 3D-printed edition of two birds in black and white. You can see more of Lister’s paintings and sculptures on his website and Instagram, and purchase “Skull” on Unique Board’s online store. (via Colossal Submissions)
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Art
Miniature Architectural Interiors and Collections of Tiny Symbolic Objects Carved into White Stone
Elevation VI Rooke Chapel
Copenhagen-based artist Matthew Simmonds (previously) carves miniature architectural interiors, angular shapes, and tiny windows filled with symbolic objects, trinkets, and animals. His ghostly white sculptural forms are cut from and presented within raw stone, which allows for a striking contrast between his designs and the medium’s natural surface.
Although Simmonds mainly focuses on sacred architecture, particularly from the Medieval era, he is drawn to how cultures overlap and influence each other. His work often references a variety of architectural styles in one piece, and sometimes presents abstract forms. “I get inspired by real architectural spaces, but the works are not reproductions of actual buildings in miniature, with the exception of the Elevation series,” Simmonds tells Colossal.
His sculptures take a minimum of three weeks to complete, however they can span several months depending on the complexity and size. “The longest I’ve ever worked on a single piece of stone was when I made Windows in 2017,” explains Simmonds. “There was around 180 days, or nine months, of carving time with more time spent on research and design.”
This particular piece was one of his most complex to date. Rows of carved openings collectively served as a curio cabinet, with each window filled with a range of creations, from a miniature iguana and array of small fruits to even tinier models of buildings and structures. Here Simmonds showcases the world in miniature, seen through the visual symbols of a variety of cultures. In the piece are also several references to San Francisco, as it was specifically created for a show in the Bay Area. To view more of the artist’s recent stone carvings, visit his website.
Windows 2017
Windows 2017
Windows 2017
Muqarnas Study
Muqarnas Study
Exedra
Fragment VIII
Cube
Windows 2017
Millennium
Elevation VI Rooke Chapel
Elevation VIII Mren Cathedral
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Art
Secondhand Armchairs and Loveseats Reconstructed Into Dripping Multi-Media Sculptures by Nina Saunders
Danish artist Nina Saunders creates sculptures that drip, tip, and spill what appears to be amorphous contents onto the ground, turning domestic objects of comfort and kitsch into sculptural pieces unintended for practical use. Her works typically involve secondhand furniture like armchairs and love seats, with the occasional melting piano thrown into her multi-media practice. Floral fabrics run from chair to floor, while the shiny black exterior of a piano seems to leak from its position on the balcony of a busy mall.
No matter what alteration Saunders makes to her collected furniture objects, they are always rendered unusable, with cushions ballooned to an abnormal proportion or legs leaning to an unnaturally slanted angle. Several of her works were included in the recent Hang-Up Collections Exhibition at Hang-Up Gallery in London alongside works by Banksy, David Shrigley, Bonnie and Clyde, and several others. You can see more of Saunders’ sculptural works on her website.
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Art
Carved Wood Sculptures by Phil Young Appear to Stretch, Twist, and Tear Within Metal Armatures
“Grasp”
Artist Phil Young twists the commonly-held perception of wood as a stiff material in his mind-bending sculptures made of polished wood and metal. Each artwork focuses on a single piece of wood that has been carefully carved to appear as if it is being stretched, twisted, bound, or squashed, often by visible forces like metal rings or nails. Young works carefully with each bit of raw material, paying attention to its natural shape and grain as he transforms it into a finished work.
Although his work is non-representational, he is able to evoke a surprising degree of emotion through the dynamic pressure the pieces appear to be subjected to. “I wouldn’t be satisfied if all I did was make beautiful pieces,” the artist explains. “I want the people who see them to question what beauty is, so I take inspiration from places you wouldn’t expect to find beauty, including surgery, diseases, wounded or wrinkled skin, and try to make that look beautiful. I think if you can find beauty even in these places, you can find happiness wherever you are.” You can see more of Young’s woodwork on his website and Instagram. (via Lustik)
“Stretch”
“Twist”
“Crush”
“Crush” detail
“Taut”
“Nail”
“Pinch”
“Clamp”
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Editor's Picks: Science
Highlights below. For the full collection click here.