Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Wang Ruilin’s Whimsical, Surreal Animal Sculptures

Whimsy, humor and fantasy collide in the sculpture of Beijing artist Wang Ruilin. Some pieces are realistic reproductions of animals’ bodies while others manipulate these bodies to create an unexpected effects. His “Horse Play” series feel especially humorous. The horses have expressive eyes and tuck in their necks almost petulantly. In one piece, horses pile on top of each other into a pyramid; at the top a horse stands with his head cocked to one side. Wang highlights each flesh fold on these horses, making their sculptural bodies seem lively.

Whimsy, humor and fantasy collide in the sculpture of Beijing artist Wang Ruilin. Some pieces are realistic reproductions of animals’ bodies while others manipulate these bodies to create an unexpected effects. His “Horse Play” series feel especially humorous. The horses have expressive eyes and tuck in their necks almost petulantly. In one piece, horses pile on top of each other into a pyramid; at the top a horse stands with his head cocked to one side. Wang highlights each flesh fold on these horses, making their sculptural bodies seem lively.

Wang’s “Dreams” series depicts other animal bodies, some with natural environments atop their backs or torsos. There is a decidedly surreal twist to these pieces. In one, mountains sit atop fluffy clouds perched on deer antlers. The deer’s heads gracefully touch to create this mysterious landscape. In another piece, a whale’s back holds what looks like a small ocean. Small pieces of a glacier float in its blue water, alluding to the changes the Earth is currently experiencing as climate change takes its course. These animals share something in common: they seem to harbor secrets we can’t quite unlock.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles

The illusionary works of Thomas Medicus include "What It Is Like to Be," an anamorphic sculpture consisting of 144 hand-painted strips of glass that reveal new images when turned. Each of the strips were painted separate from another, and specifically, the new images are revealed when the piece is turned 90 degrees.

Throughout human history, stories about wild and elusive giants have been told on almost every continent. Iceland-based French multimedia artist Philip Ob Rey has reimagined such monsters in a photo series of sculptures made of VHS tapes. Rey created "V" HS Project, a set of 5 series of black and white photos and accompanying short films, in contemplation of the future of the human race. Set against the gray skies of Iceland's landscape, the photos portray nightmarish figures wandering a cold and post apocalyptic world.
Ellis Tolsma’s vibrant costumes recall the famous parties of Germany's Bauhaus school in the 1920s. Like her prints and sculptures, Tolsma has a knack for integrating geometric forms into striking creations. The illustrator "and maker" hails from the Netherlands.
Courtney Mattison’s ceramics are clearly inspired and motivated by the ocean — that immense, powerful and precious resource whose details are still largely hidden from us. Self-identifying as both an artist and “ocean advocate," Mattison has created massive installations, “Our Changing Seas, I-III,” that cover a bio-diverse selection of coral reef forms. Displayed in a gallery, the pieces appear to grow out of the wall, as if miraculously alive in the dry, alien atmosphere. The ceramic medium allows for remarkable ranges in color, spanning the spectrum of actual living coral to the bone-dry, matte whiteness of its dead state. Both versions are present in Mattison’s pieces, reminding us that these entities are desperately in need of preservation. "Our Changing Seas III" is currently on view at the Tang Museum at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List