From Debris to Masterpiece: 10 Unbelievable Driftwood Sculptures That Defy Imagination
Content warning: Sculptor Nagato Iwasaki Mesmerizing driftwood sculptures by Japanese artist Nagato Iwasaki. Text by Folk Horror Magpie. More like this: “UMI” Sculpture by Daniel Popper in Lisle, Illinois All of the figures are part of an interconnected work that Iwasaki
Sculptor Nagato Iwasaki
Mesmerizing driftwood sculptures by Japanese artist Nagato Iwasaki. Text by Folk Horror Magpie.
More like this: “UMI” Sculpture by Daniel Popper in Lisle, Illinois
All of the figures are part of an interconnected work that Iwasaki calls ‘Torso’ and each have undergone a painstaking process of construction over the past 25 years.
“Gathering bits of wood from here and there, like an insect building a nest, I create sculptures” says the artist in one of his few interviews. Driftwood of just the right shape and size to mimic a human collarbone or the cur of a pelvis don’t come floating down the river every day. The slow, meditative process is as much a component of bringing the figures to life as their foraged bones.
Many of the figures are ‘complete’ with alien-proportioned heads and fully fleshed out musculature, giving them an unmistakably – albeit uncanny – human presence.
Others meanwhile are cut off at the waist or missing limbs as if dissembling of their own accord, a frightening image to come across in the woods.
Though he has exhibited internationally the forest settings far better suit the figures than a white cube gallery, free to change colour with the natural elements, creaking and bowing with the effect of rainwater, gathering.
More: 30 Amazing Sculptures You (probably) Didn’t Know Existed
What do you think about this sculptures by Nagato Iwasaki?
“UMI” Sculpture by Daniel Popper in Lisle, Illinois
Installation artist Daniel Popper
By Daniel Popper at the outdoor tree museum The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, USA.Daniel Popper: “UMI” – Meaning Life in Swahili and Mother in Arabic. 1 of 5 new works from the Human+Nature exhibition opening today at the The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. Surrounding the base of the Earth Mother we have planted Virginia Creepers. I am looking forward to watching them grow and the artwork evolve over time in this beautiful space. Made from steel & GFRC (Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete), 20ft tall. The pieces will on display for 1 year. May you all enjoy interacting with her as much as we enjoyed creating her.
Daniel Popper - Renowned Sculptor and Artist
Discover the awe-inspiring work of Daniel Popper, a globally acclaimed sculptor known for his large-scale public art installations and immersive experiences.richedevine (Daniel Popper)
