Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Jason Borders Carves Intricate Designs Into Animal Skulls

Jason Borders's carved animal skulls are morbidly fascinating. While the ornate, lace-like patterns he engraves into the bone draw viewers in with their beauty, it's easy to become repulsed when you truly think about the origins of his materials. "A large part of what I do involves a familiarization with death," he says. "My belief is that, as painful as it can be, looking directly at death helps you to live your life with intent and purpose." While, in Western culture, we tend to remove death as far away from ourselves as possible, perhaps a more holistic way of thinking about it is to view it as part of our existence. In using animal remains to create something new, Borders' work reminds viewers of the cyclical nature of life.

Jason Borders’s carved animal skulls are morbidly fascinating. While the ornate, lace-like patterns he engraves into the bone draw viewers in with their beauty, it’s easy to become repulsed when you truly think about the origins of his materials. “A large part of what I do involves a familiarization with death,” he says. “My belief is that, as painful as it can be, looking directly at death helps you to live your life with intent and purpose.” While, in Western culture, we tend to remove death as far away from ourselves as possible, perhaps a more holistic way of thinking about it is to view it as part of our existence. In using animal remains to create something new, Borders’ work reminds viewers of the cyclical nature of life.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Armed with pliers and wire, Claude-Olivier Guay creates transforming sculptures that mimic organic matter and various creatures. The artist, living and working in Quebec City, uses video to show how his creations can evolve. In these pieces, winged insects and birds can emerge from skulls and our bodies can transform into wild, woodland animals.
English novelist Edward George Bulwer Lytton wrote: "The pen is mightier than the sword," a phrase that inspires artist Ravi Zupa, who believes that we achieve purpose better and more effectively through communication with art than by violence with weapons. From his mixed media sculptures and assemblages to taro-like drawings and paintings inspired by Japanese, German, and Indian styles of printmaking, Zupa has become known for is the variety in his work, where the weapon has been a recurring motif. It takes centerpiece in his current show "Strike Everywhere" at Black Book Gallery in Denver, Colorado.
Nomadic artist Stefano Ogliari Badessi crafts installations full of wonder across the globe. At Museo Civico Di Crema last month the artist kicked off a major project features his inflatable and found object-crafted pieces in an exhibition called “Wonderland.” His works often work as costumes and towering creatures with transparent portions that reveal the humans underneath.
Aspencrow's hyperrealistic figurative sculptures blend the provocative with pop. Blending materials like resin, fiberglass, and silicone, his works serve as both admiring and wry portraits. The artist was born in Lithuania and moved to England to attend Birmingham City University, School of Art.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List