Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Frederik Heyman’s ‘Virtual Embalmings’ Offer Curated Digital Memorials

Using 3D scanning, artist Frederik Heyman created “virtual embalmings,” in which digitally crafted memorials are curated by their subjects. In this series, created for the Nowness program "Define Beauty," he “embalmed” fashion and entertainment figures Isabelle Huppert, Kim Peers and Michèle Lamy with their careful input.

Using 3D scanning, artist Frederik Heyman created “virtual embalmings,” in which digitally crafted memorials are curated by their subjects. In this series, created for the Nowness program “Define Beauty,” he “embalmed” fashion and entertainment figures Isabelle Huppert, Kim Peers and Michèle Lamy with their careful input.

“The following virtual memorials were curated by their subjects,” he says. “They were asked the question: ‘How do you want to be remembered in the future?’ These installations overcome time and space, in which physical presence is no longer relevant. A digital remembrance as a document for the future.”

See more of Heyman’s digital installations below.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Eric Petersen is a methodical, calculated artist. He opts to work digitally to remove any personalized evidence of the human touch. He chooses the colors of his works like a scientist dropping carefully-measured chemicals into a vile: The intended effect of these contrasting, bright shades, says Petersen, is one of unsettlement. He sets up compositions that are at once harmonious and jarring. Geometric shapes appear to slice through his planes with razor sharp precision of placement. Yet their rhythmic arrangements give his work a sense of harmony, even while the electric blue, neon yellow and sunset orange hues simultaneously vie for viewers' attention.
Self-taught photographer Jon Jacobsen creates portraits that feel like the stuff of beautiful nightmares. In fact, he operates on the idea that reality and fantasy might not be so far from each other as we think. His portraits and self-portraits reflect the fragility of human nature and many works echo the symbolic language and dark beauty of memento mori pieces. The colorful, swirling lines that emanate from his subjects seem to hint at another person or personality. What could look like a placid, somewhat Classical portrait becomes disturbing and distorted. It's hard to tell whether the subjects are rotting away or actually transforming into their true shape.
New York-based artist Yohei Horishita creates digital illustrations with a textured effect that evokes traditional painting. His work is ornate and figurative, juxtaposing human characters with imaginary settings that seem to belong to no particular time or place. Flowers and feathers consume his backgrounds, cultivating a fantasy space removed from our contemporary reality. While Horishita does extensive client work, his pieces have a distinct style that allows them to stand alone.
All that should look solid melts right off in the compositions of Alessandro Ripane. Many of his characters have a mass of dripping liquid with plants protruding in all directions in lieu of real faces. Other figures sprout plants from their limbs while their gleaming white bones peek through. Yet these morbid compositions manage to keep a whimsical twist; in some, giant pink ice cream cones drip heavily. Genoa-born Ripane remembers collecting comic books and volumes on wild animals, a habit that definitely informs his strange imagery. Each vignette gives the sensation that the viewer is walking in on the strange characters. A couple cuddling becomes a strange mass of plants, melting parts and mangled flesh. But not all is lost: Ripane makes sure to let one of the figures keep his socks and shoes on. Part Surrealism, part satire and all visceral, Ripane's works leave few parts intact but offer plenty of visual gems.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List