Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

The Art of Christiaan Zwanikken

Conjoining natural elements such as bone, plant life andtaxidermy with mechanical devices into elaborate ‘kinetic’ sculptures, Dutchartist Christiaan Zwanikken has landed in Philadelphia at Jinxed Gallery forhis first stateside solo show, 'Convento'. The sculptures, when encountered in person,relay a subtle poetry in the vein of ‘The Brother’s Quay’ and other dark, yet enchantingstop motion films, as they each move in some way. The robotic skeletons act out similar scenarios as theywould in life; the bone wings flutter, two “goats” square off and ram their skullstogether, a disembodied hawk skull remains loyal to its falconer. However, it’sthe endless, colorful nests of wiring and electricity that produce theunnatural, mechanical movements and sounds in lieu of life, of skin and fur. This absencecreates a kind of melancholy that is contrasted with the whimsical sounds andnuanced synchronized movements of the sculptures, as they appear groupedtogether with the gallery. View more of the work after the jump.

Conjoining natural elements such as bone, plant life and taxidermy with mechanical devices into elaborate ‘kinetic’ sculptures, Dutch artist Christiaan Zwanikken has landed in Philadelphia at Jinxed Gallery for his first stateside solo show, ‘Convento’. The sculptures, when encountered in person, relay a subtle poetry in the vein of ‘The Brother’s Quay’ and other dark, yet enchanting stop motion films, as they each move in some way. The robotic skeletons act out similar scenarios as they would in life; the bone wings flutter, two “goats” square off and ram their skulls together, a disembodied hawk skull remains loyal to its falconer. However, it’s the endless, colorful nests of wiring and electricity that produce the unnatural, mechanical movements and sounds in lieu of life, of skin and fur. This absence creates a kind of melancholy that is contrasted with the whimsical sounds and nuanced synchronized movements of the sculptures, as they appear grouped together with the gallery. View more of the work below.

Meta
Topics
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Artist and animation director Joe Vaux paints what he likes. His personal work is teeming with impish demons. His cheerful hellscapes are populated with lost souls, sharp toothed monstrosities, and swarms of wrong-doers. And yet, there’s an innocence to all of this. Click to read the Hi-Fructose exclusive interview with Joe Vaux.
Vibrant and bold, Oscar Joyo’s latest body of work which was exhibited at Thinkspace Projects in Los Angeles, vibrates the retina; while delving into his childhood memories childhood in Malawi and themes of Afrofuturism.
Something interesting happens when when artists like Alan and Carolynda Macdonald, who have the painting fundamentals mastered, decide to subvert expectations and perplex a viewers expectations conceptually. Click to read the Hi-Fructose exclusive interview.
The concept of the Wunderkammer, aka The Cabinet Of Curiosities has been an artistic inspiration for some time, however a new show opening in November by Ryan Matthew Cohn and Jean Labourdette takes it up a notch with an exceptional show of sculptures and paintings based thematically on the subject. Click to read the new Hi-Fructose exclusive interview.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List