Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

The Surreal, Wooden Sculptures of Paul Kaptein

The warped and surreal nature of Paul Kaptein’s sculptures are even more startling when you consider the medium: Kaptein hand-carves each piece from wood. And the “glitchy” aspect of the works is heightened by gaps and holes present throughout, in a sense emptying the figures of their worldliness. And with names like, “With the Poise of One Entering a Black Hole for the Third Time” (shown above), there’s both a humor and cosmic quality to the Australian artist’s work. Kaptein was last featured on HiFructose.com here.

The warped and surreal nature of Paul Kaptein’s sculptures are even more startling when you consider the medium: Kaptein hand-carves each piece from wood. And the “glitchy” aspect of the works is heightened by gaps and holes present throughout, in a sense emptying the figures of their worldliness. And with names like, “With the Poise of One Entering a Black Hole for the Third Time” (shown above), there’s both a humor and cosmic quality to the Australian artist’s work. Kaptein was last featured on HiFructose.com here.




Fremantle Arts Centre curator Dr. Ric Spencer offers this for Kaptein’s “About” page: “The humour in Paul’s work belies a deeper investigation into and engagement with streams of newness, such as sub-cultural currents, locational politics, popular physics, transient spiritualism and the accumulation and residue of overheard broadcasts. Fundamentally – it is concerned with the relationship between the immaterial and the material, the gap in between and how potential shifts energy through this space – into being, or as Heidegger calls it ‘the material space of radiance’, as it becomes something and forms identity.”




The stillness present in the faces of Kaptein’s subjects adds to their otherworldliness, conveying that they inhabit a world in which interference is common. And with eyes closed, some are just waiting it out.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
San Francisco-based collage artist Travis Bedel aka Bedelgeuse creates astounding anatomical collages that splice together bones, tendons, and organs with flora and fauna. His collage work, mostly a hybrid of analog and digital techniques, takes on a surrealist quality as human anatomy seamlessly intertwines with crystals, flowers, and feathers. Deeply moved by the mysteries and potentialities of the human body, Bedelgeuse’s work revels in the relationship between humanity and nature.
Yoshitoshi Kanemaki’s recent mindbending wooden sculptures carry cerebral and haunting vibes, each evolving in tone as the viewer observes from different perspectives. The artist was featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 38 and he last appeared on HiFructose.com here.
Yasam Sasmazer, a Turkish artist who works in Berlin, crafts wooden sculptures the deal with psychological hardship and narratives. Series like “Metanoia” take influence from the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung, exploring the journey between mental breakdowns and the evolution that follows. Her use of three-dimensional figures and shadows, both simulated and real, offer an absorbing take on the duality of living.
The wooden sculptures of Kiko Miyares appear as distortions of the human figure, with viewers often circling the work in disbelief. While some of his work is horizontal, the majority of his work vertically transforms the body into a new, perception-challenging object. His toying with color further pushes the surrealism of each subject.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List