Jacob Dahlgren treats stacks of pencils like blocks of wood in his sculpture series, "Subject of Art." With each unit sharpened to a different length, the pencils stack on top of one another to create playful, geometric shapes with an Op Art element. Though the forms are quite simple, Dahlgren's choice of medium makes the series a whimsical exploration of how one can reconfigure basic shapes to creates something new.
Jacob Dahlgren treats stacks of pencils like blocks of wood in his sculpture series, “Subject of Art.” With each unit sharpened to a different length, the pencils stack on top of one another to create playful, geometric shapes with an Op Art element. Though the forms are quite simple, Dahlgren’s choice of medium makes the series a whimsical exploration of how one can reconfigure basic shapes to creates something new.
Photos by Tedd Soost.
Of all the creatures on the planet, perhaps no other has inspired us quite like birds; they are strong, light, beautiful, and have the freedom to go anywhere they want to go. Birds have long inspired artist Tom Hill's mixed media sculptures made of carved wood, forged copper, and steel. The birds that he builds are characterizations of real species like owls and and black birds, capturing their natural personalities in a playful, even cartoonish way. He gives them big, rounded and expressive eyes, delicate feathers spun out of hardy wires, and long, spindly legs. "I tend to think of all my pieces as character studies. Spend a few seconds observing a bird; the turn of the head, the flash of an eye, puffed up feathers; each gesture conveys a wealth of visual material for the artist as we see the bird consider and interact intelligently with the world around it," he says.
From sculpture to photography and video art, every aspect of Italian artist Christian Zucconi’s work is devoted to the study of human flesh and its many evolutions. His sculpture is particularly strong in its portrayal of decay and deconstruction, as much of his recent work, such as his latest Corpo and Leviathan, displays the human figure in a state of tangible decomposition and subtle regeneration expressed through stitched-up parts, rugged textures and missing body parts.
Decorative metalworking in Japan has a long history that began sometime in the fourth to fifth centuries with skills passed down through the generations. Tokyo based sculptor Taiichiro Yoshida conforms to century old traditions in his hot-metal treated sculptures of flower-encrusted animals. Snow monkeys, rabbits, cats, and birds like sparrows and doves are just a few of the animals that he represents in his work, coated with layers of intricate metal florals and feathers in various colors.
Mari Shimizu’s dolls contain worlds. The Japanese artist crafts surreal, disconcerting figures whose torsos are often hollowed and reveal views into scenes ripped from mythology. The work is both a new transformation for the classical doll and a nod to the centuries-old nature of the toys.
