Surreal sculptures by contemporary masters that prove that fantasy has no boundaries

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

As you know, surrealism is a direction in art, which organically combines visual deception of dreams, allusion and paradox. And he is known to us from the paintings of surrealist artists. But, as it turned out, the surre is no less interesting in the works of sculptors, who have long proved that there are no restrictions for creativity - neither in technique, nor in material, nor in the flight of imagination. Today in our publication there is an excellent selection of works by modern masters who conquered their surreal art the world using stone, metal, ceramics, wood …

Amazing creativity of Chinese sculptors

Collective creativity is a rare phenomenon in the art world and in the field of sculpture, in particular. But three Chinese artists - Liu Zhan, uang Jun and Tan Tianwei - decided to break this tradition, and in 2001 founded an independent creative association called the Unmas Group. And for 20 years now, this trinity of masters has been working together, creating unique sculptures.

The last of the group's projects is the Flash memory project. This is the name of the well-known "flash drives" that are used to store and transmit data. However, in fact, their sculptures have nothing to do with technique.

These works are made of steel and marble, and represent mainly images of people and horses. And there is one peculiarity in all these works: the sculptures related to this series are absolutely incomplete. Therefore, sculptural images, illusory dissolving in space, force the viewer to become “co-authors” and, at their discretion, supplement this or that surrealistic composition.

In fact, using the unfinished effect, the artists of the Unmas Group laconically and whimsically demonstrate to the audience the beauty of human bodies and the gracefulness of horses.

Surreal sculptures by Rehgar van der Muehlen

A young artist from Johannesburg, South Africa, Regardt van der Meulen masterfully interprets human fears in an unusual but organic art form. Someone will probably think that the sculptor is simply visualizing his own nightmares. However, it is not. Regar van der Mühlen specifically creates metal sculptures that remind humanity of the "illusory feeling of security in modern society."

The people created by Rehgar are reborn or destroyed right before our eyes - the figures, consisting of frozen metal at the time of the fall, are intended to study the foundations of social consciousness. Mühlen acts as a researcher, showing his viewers how perishable everything that is done by human hands, however, like the person himself. All his creations show how fragile our body is.

For example, the famous pair composition "Ballerinas" shows how fame and popularity of dancers is so fleeting. It is like melting the most durable steel in the fire of time. And we clearly see how their figures seem to dissolve in their ghostly dance.

In all the works of the master, one can simultaneously feel both expression, power, and the fragile vulnerability of the human body - a hint of the frailty of existence, as well as admiration for the strength and fragility of the human body.

My work is inspired by time, memory and mortality. I was intrigued not only by the decay of human life, but also by the erosion of our environment. At all stages of birth, growth, fertility and death there is an inevitable element of decay and mortality. People usually live with a deceptive sense of security, with the illusion that our environment or civilization is reliable and static.

But, often the dangers and violence of the current world in which we live are interrupted, and the illusion of security is exposed. Sculptures are metaphors not only for the vulnerability of the physical body, but also for the emotional and mental state. I have used steel as a medium commonly associated with the feeling of still power. I sculpted each figure in such a way as to create the impression that they are incomplete, melting or torn apart, destroyed by force either from the inside or from the outside, - this is how the artist himself says about his works.

The artist's philosophy makes one think that everything is illusory in this world, like the very phenomenon of contemporary art.

Unusual sculptures by Johnson Tsang, a virtuoso master of dynamics and surrealism

Johnson Tsang is a wonderful sculptor from Hong Kong who treats clay as if it were ordinary plasticine. He creates sculptures that appear to be living flesh. In addition, the author very successfully adds surrealistic motifs to his compositions, in which, of course, Buddhist and Chinese stylistics are guessed.

Using realistic sculptural techniques in his works, he skillfully brings the plots of his creations closer to surrealism, intricately combining an original idea and a peculiar sense of humor into a single whole.

Tsang, a police officer by profession, first attended clay modeling classes in 1991. He describes his first experience with the material as follows: It is also worth noting that Johnson, who specializes in ceramics, casts amazing sculptures in stainless steel.

By the way, Tsang loves his work so much that he is ready to share the secrets of his skill with others. On his blog, he quite often uploads photographs of sculptures in the process of their creation. Its subscribers are incredibly interested in seeing how such miracles are created.

You see a philosophical unusual sculpture called "Transformation", which clearly echoes the work of Salvador Dali. As you remember, Dali has a soft watch, Tsang has a soft gun and Buddha's hands. A kind of surrealism in a Buddhist style with a deep meaning.

Since 1993, Tsang's works have been constantly exhibited not only in his homeland, but also around the world, being the subject of enthusiastic sighs of museum workers, collectors, and of course the public.

And in conclusion, I would like to present to your attention a series of sculptures by Johnson Tsang, in which he deeply explores human emotions. Amazing surrealism!

Surreal wood sculptures by Morgan Erren

Morgan Herrin creates detailed wood sculptures, which take him several months to create. As the master himself says, the average amount of time spent on one sculpture is about a year.

Even if his collection is not as large as it could be. However, the main difference between the works of this sculptor is completely manual execution, from the very beginning to the end. We quote Morgan Erren himself:

It is impossible to present the work of all contemporary surrealist sculptors within the framework of this publication. Therefore, we suggest you take a look yourself to the gallery of works by Jonathan Owen, which, giving the classic marble statues an unexpected surreal look, turns them into completely new works of applied art.