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So what’s next for the Fourth Plinth?

January 21, 2017 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

Thumbs Up by David Shrigley | Art-Pie — Thumbs Up by David Shrigley

If you have been near Trafalgar Square in London, you must have noticed a 7m high sculpture looking like a thumbs up.

This particular pedestal on the square is called the Fourth Plinth and the current artist showing their works is David Shrigley.

So what’s next for the Fourth Plinth?

2018 & 20 shortlists announced

London’s National Gallery has revealed the five shortlisted proposals for the 2018 and 2020 Fourth Plinth commissions by artists Huma Bhabha, Damián Ortega, Heather Phillipson, Michael Rakowitz, and Raqs Media Collective.

The shortlisted proposals, which are currently on show in the National Gallery’s Annenberg Court until 26 March 2017, include an empty white robe, a recreation of a sculpture destroyed by ISIS, and a scoop of parasite-covered ice cream.

Not long now to find out which two works will be selected to finally stand on the plinth in 2018 and 2020.

Shortlisted sculptures in images

“Untitled” by Huma Bhabha
– an imposing figure, the scale reflecting a modern comic sci-fi movie.

Untitled, by Huma Bhabha | Art-Pie — Untitled, by Huma Bhabha

“High Way” by Damián Ortega
– a playful and precarious construction of a truck, oil cans, scaffold and a ladder.

“THE END” by Heather Phillipson
– explores the extremes of shared experience, from commemorations and celebrations to mass protests, all while being observed by a drone’s camera.

“The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist” by Michael Rakowitz
– a recreation of the Lamassu, a winged bull and protective deity, which was destroyed by ISIS in 2015.

“The Emperor’s Old Clothes” by Raqs Media Collective
– explores how power can be both present and absent in sculpture.

About the Fourth Plinth

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Chen Wenling’s farting bull

October 14, 2016 Pierrick Senelaer 2 Comments

When we first noticed Chen Wenling’s “What You see Might Not Be Real” sculpture, we immediately wanted to find out more about the artist and his work. This is not the name which jumped at us but the rather amusing look of the sculpture – yes it a farting bull!

Here is what Zhu Qi says about Chen Wenglin’s sculptures

Chen Wenling’s sculptures represent the spirit of collective imagery that defines China after her entrance into consumerist society. His work uses a mythological form that encompasses the spiritual insemination that overtook a generation with materialism in the 1990s, as well as the self-awareness and post awareness era everyday spirit of Chinese after the 1990s.

"What You see Might Not Be Real” (or the Farting Bull) — “What You see Might Not Be Real” (or the Farting Bull)

Zhu Qi adds –

Two main themes are prevalent in Chen Wenling’s sculptures, the first being an expression of the extreme human condition, the latter being an expression of the spiritual imagery of a consumer society.

The “farting bull”, we will refer to the work above using this – so much more fun, is a reflexion ab about the infamous global financial crisis.

The man getting crushed by the bull is Bernard (Bernie) Madoff who is an American fraudster and a former stockbroker, investment advisor, and financier. He is the former non-executive chairman of the NASDAQ stock market, and the admitted operator of a Ponzi scheme that is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.

Chen Wenglin’s “farting bull” has also been used in several other sculpture works. We included below a few examples of these as well as more about the “What You see Might Not Be Real” sculpture – the piece first described above

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A Beautiful Disorder – sculptures from Chinese artists

June 29, 2016 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

A major exhibition of new outdoor sculptures created by 18 contemporary Greater Chinese artists is about to open at Cass Sculpture Foundation.

A leading sculpture foundation in England will display the first major exhibition of outdoor sculpture by contemporary Greater Chinese artists to be shown in the UK.

The exhibition invites the viewer to reflect on China’s past, present and future relationship with the world at large, and provides valuable insight into the state of Chinese culture, politics and society today from the perspective of some of its most dynamic and engaging artists.

C 2016 Cass Sculpture Foundation, Wang Yuyang, Rendering of Identity, 2015 | Art-Pie — C 2016 Cass Sculpture Foundation, Wang Yuyang, Rendering of Identity, 2015

From July 2016, eighteen monumental outdoor sculptures will be on display throughout the grounds of CASS. These artists employ a variety of ambitious sculptural techniques across a range of materials including bronze, stone, steel and wood. The historical relationship between English and Chinese landscape aesthetics is the starting point and inspiration for these contemporary artists. The title of the exhibition, A Beautiful Disorder , is a quote from an influential letter written by the Jesuit missionary and artist Jean Denis Attiret in 1743 that had a tremendous effect on English garden culture.

Attiret used the term to describe the ability of the Chinese garden to provoke violent and often opposing sensations in the viewer through a series of theatrical framing devices. Cass Sculpture Foundation’s Executive Director, Clare Hindle, says: “To date, Cass Sculpture Foundation has commissioned over 400 works – A Beautiful Disorder is a landmark moment for the Foundation as it is the first time we are commissioning works for a major exhibition by international artists. The exhibition will showcasecontemporary sculpture by some of the leading Greater Chinese artists.”

C 2016 Cass Sculpture Foundation, Zhao Yao, Rendering of A Sculpture of Thought I-192 , 2015 | Art-Pie — C 2016 Cass Sculpture Foundation, Zhao Yao, Rendering of A Sculpture of Thought I-192 , 2015

Participating artists for A Beautiful Disorder include: Bi Rongrong, Cao Dan, Cao Fei, Cheng Ran, Cui Jie, Jennifer Ma Wen, Li Jinghu, Lu Pingyuan, Xu Zhen (Produced by MadeIn Company), Rania Ho, Song Ta, Tu Wei-Cheng, Wang Sishun, Wang Wei, Wang Yuyang, Zhang Ruyi, Zheng Bo and Zhao Yao.

More details: http://www.sculpture.org.uk/event/a-beautiful-disorder

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Star wars as greek statues

May 5, 2016 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

Greek sculpture | Art-Pie — Classical Greek sculpture

We all went to a museum one day (well I hope you did, if not you guys are missing out!) which has a Classical art collection often consisting of a series of nude hunks sculptures.

In the Classical period there was a revolution in Greek statuary, usually associated with the introduction of democracy and the end of the aristocratic culture associated with the kouroi. The Classical period saw changes in the style and function of sculpture. Poses became more naturalistic (see the Charioteer of Delphi for an example of the transition to more naturalistic sculpture), and the technical skill of Greek sculptors in depicting the human form in a variety of poses greatly increased.

Star Wars Greek Sculptures by Travis Durden | Art-Pie — Click to enlarge

But enough of Greek sculptures in their “Classical” sense, let’s look at the series of digital manipulations by French artist Travis Durden adds a Star Wars dimension to it.

Star Wars, for those who don’t know it (…) is an American epic space opera franchise, centered on a film series created by George Lucas.

I do not know for you guys but the chap is pretty gifted at sculpture right? Well it may be but these works will not prove it because these are a series of images manipulated using Photoshop, the popular image editing software.

Durden reimagines Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, General Grevious and a Storm Trooper as “Darth Resurrection,” “Gladiator Boba,” Angel Yodea,” “General Niobides” and “Storm Reader.”

About the artist

Travis Durden is a pseudonym, as the Parisian artist behind the project would prefer his art be the center of attention, not himself. Fascinated by the construction of myths & idols, he interrogates how we, as humans, determine what will be raised to popular culture or elevated to divine cult, and how history has influenced us in making this choice.

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10 mind blowing sculptures from all around the world

April 12, 2016 Pierrick Senelaer 1 Comment

We came across these mind-blowing sculptures and could not resist sharing them with you. Defying gravity or just beautiful, you can decide for yourself. We hope you’ll enjoy them.

Why not telling us about them in the comments below?

Name: “The Immigrant Sculpture” by Bruno Catalano
Location: Portugal
Meaning: Symbolizing luggage full of dreams but an empty heart, because you are leaving everything behind.

Name: “Popped Up” by Ervin Loránth Hervé
Location: Budapest (Hungary)
Meaning: Promotional piece for Art market Budapest (2014). The temporary sculpture combines art with nature, surprising visitors while welcoming them to the Eastern capital.

Name: Jeju Loveland
Location: Jeju island in South Korea
Meaning: Jeju Loveland is an outdoor sculpture park which opened in 2004 on Jeju Island in South Korea. The park is focused on a theme of sex, featuring 140 sculptures representing humans in various sexual positions.

Name: “Hippo Squares”
Location: Taipei Zoo (Taiwan)
Meaning: The square is the brainchild of former zoo Director Chen Pao-chung, who came up with the concept while looking for ways to complement the African Animal Area. After consulting with employees and designers, Chen greenlighted the square and it went on to become one of the facility’s signature nonliving attractions.

Name: Not known
Location: Tuen Mun Park (Hong Kong)
Meaning: Not known

Name: “The Rundle Mall pigs”
Location: Rundle Mall, Adelaide (Australia)
Meaning: The four pigs won Adelaide City Council’s Rundle Mall National Sculpture Competition for the upgraded Rundle Mall in 1997. South African-born and Sydney-based sculptor Marguerite Derricourt was the winner. Her four bronze pigs were unveiled on July 3, 1999.

Name: “River God Tyne” statue by sculptor David Wynne (1968)
Location: Newcastle Town hall (UK)
Meaning: It portrays the river God in human form, a fountain within his outstretched hand coursing a constant stream of water along the tortured and twisted torso of the aquatic diety.

Name: “Octopus plays Chess” by Leigh Dyer
Location: Hasting Old Town (UK)
Meaning: These fantastic pieces that live in the Chess Square, George Street, Hastings Old Town.

Name: Yorkshire sculpture park (UK)
Location: Yorkshire sculpture park (UK)
Meaning: The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an open-air gallery in West Bretton near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England, showing work by British and international artists

Name: Rock sculpture by Smaban Abbas
Location: Terminal 3, Cairo airport (Egypt)
Meaning: ?

2018 & 20 shortlists announced

Shortlisted sculptures in images

About the Fourth Plinth

About the artist

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