The grotesque miniatures of Korean sculptor Dongwook Lee are not for everyone, and yet his work stems from what he describes as a basic concern for all human beings. Previously featured here on our blog, the Seoul, Korea based artist’s figures are small-scale sculptural works, most measuring no more than 12″ inches high made of Polymer clay, that typically depict contorted human forms. His use of figures has been associated to Lee’s personal hobby of collecting toys, plastic products that he incorporates as the main motif of his art. His shrunken subjects are naked and isolated, and often times twisted to the point where they can hardly be called “human”, representing Lee’s abstract ideas about evolution, in-breeding, or even our own nightmarish perceptions of ourselves. He embodies the idea of physical “likeness” in his most recent sculptures, featuring humanoids with growths of pink-colored mushrooms and massive, heavy lumps of flesh that they are forced to carry. They are intended to be character studies as a means of exploring the increasingly complex concept of identity. Lee currently has a series of four works in the group exhibition “Likeness” at Albertz Benda gallery in New York through February 13th, 2016.
Ron Mueck The exhibition “Reshaped Reality: 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Sculpture” has currently taken over at the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan, with the likes of Patricia Piccinini, Ron Mueck, and several others. The survey of hyperrealistic figurative work features both larger-than-life and distorted takes on the human form. The exhibition runs through Sept. 22 at the space.
Darius Hulea's figures are forged in metal wire, yet carry a ghostly, apparating quality. The Romania-based artist depicts a range of figures, from Ferdinand I and violinst George Enesco to philosopher Mircea Eliade and sculptor Frederic Storck. The artist moves between differing types of metal, as well, including bronze, iron, steel, copper, and brass.
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