Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Wilfrid Wood’s Engrossing, Hilarious Sculptures

Wilfrid Wood, the East London-based sculptor, crafts absorbing, occasionally hilarious faces and figures from paper mache, plasticine, and polymer clay. Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg, 2016 Olympians, or less public figures, there’s both humanity and vulnerability in Wood’s work. Since the end of the satirical television show "Spitting Image," on which Wood worked to help craft the heads in the puppet program, the artist has worked as a freelance sculptor.


Wilfrid Wood, the East London-based sculptor, crafts absorbing, occasionally hilarious faces and figures from paper mache, plasticine, and polymer clay. Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg, 2016 Olympians, or less public figures, there’s both humanity and vulnerability in Wood’s work. Since the end of the satirical television show “Spitting Image,” on which Wood worked to help craft the heads in the puppet program, the artist has worked as a freelance sculptor.

Even though much of his work can focus on the heads of individuals, Wood’s pieces transcend straight caricature, instead becoming images that deserve repeat viewings and pondering. In a recent interview with Zetteler, the artist talked about concepts with which his work is often associated: “The problem with satire and caricature is that it can be one-dimensional. Art needs to work on several levels at once. It’s the same with humour in art – it’s dangerous because real art needs to be more than a one-liner.”




Even with canines, which consistently appear in his work, the artist has a knack of crafting specific personalities and emotions. In the same interview, a journalist asked why dogs often come up for him. His answer? “Dogs come second only to humans in their variety of characters so make ideal subjects.”





Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Oakland, California based artist Crystal Morey feels a special connection to nature that stems from her childhood years spent in the Sierra Nevada foothills. When she moved to the city, her entire perspective changed. "I once saw humans as being under the umbrella of “nature,” subservient to natural happening. I now realize humans are the largest variable in the changing of our planet’s ecological and environmental outcome," she says. This is the driving motivation behind her sculptures of totem-like creatures inspired by various cultures; human characters wrapped in the skins of eagles, bears, deer, rabbits and other animals.
Mushrooms are an important part of San Francisco based artist Michael Campbell's sculptures, vibrantly colored mixed media works that sprout these cryptic growths. In a recent short film about his work, Campbell shares that since childhood, his art has demonstrated an affinity for the divine nature of things. As he grew older, his curiosity developed into an obsession about the imminent death of all creatures, something that Campbell feels the mushroom perfectly embodies.
The fantastic wire creations of Walter Oltmann seem both alien and familiar. The artist often calls upon the natural world and images from human history to explore themes of hybridism and mutation while referencing the rich traditions of South African craft-making. Born in 1960, Oltmann spent his childhood living in remote parts of the KwaZulu-Natal region, where he was first exposed to local handicrafts such as weaving and basket-making. Using wire as his preferred medium, the artist has become an expert on wire working and devotes himself to studying the influence of cultural traditions on contemporary South African art.
The crucifixion of Jesus has been depicted in religious art since the 4th century CE. World renown Scottish-born artist David Mach, famous for his stunning sculptures made out of wire coat hangers, turned heads with his own depiction of the Bible's most compelling event- his "Golgotha" sculpture first debuted in his 2011 exhibition titled "Previous Light", which opened in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible. The monumental piece is again provoking a strong reaction with its recent display within the 14th century walls of Chester Cathedral in England.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List