Art has a bad wrap, and little wonder. I've never been a fan of The Turner Prize, for example, because in my opinion it's contrived and full of people trying too hard to be arty for art's sake. But there is so much cool arty stuff out there, left unappreciated by the masses because they're turned off by the elitism of the art world where people practice a lot of chin rubbing and air kissing.
Maybe the internet will change all that. In my opinion, there is no replacement for being able to see the work of art 'in the flesh,' so to speak, but the internet certainly makes things more accessible, less stuffy and more fun. These days it's not unusual to receive an email that's doing its rounds among office folk, which is full of wow factor arty things. Makes a change from the naff jokes or 'read this and pass on or DIE' type chain mails that used to make their way into mail boxes across the land.
So, I've compiled my top five 'cool arty things' that are WELL worth checking out. I've noticed a bit of bias going on towards sculpture, for which I make no apologies. Perhaps that is because sculpture translates much better to computer screen than paintings, who knows. If you check out the following five, I guarantee that you will agree that sculpture can make your day. And I could lay money on you passing on these website links to at least one other person! Enjoy.
Check out his eerie and haunting underwater sculptures!
Unfortunately, these amazing sculptures are not only located off the shore of some far flung Caribbean Island, they're also about thirty metres under water, so only scuba divers can really get up close and personal to them. Nevertheless, I love them and I'm looking forward to checking out the more art-lover-friendly installation that Taylor has created along the River Stour near Canterbury. Thankfully these ones can be viewed from land, as they're only at a depth of about two or three metres. You see a beautiful video of some of the sculptures off the shore of Grenada, here
2. Camille Allen's baby sculptures.
People often believe they're made out of marzipan but are, in fact, sculpted using clay similar to Fimo. I love her work. There are a number of video's on YouTube that aim to teach how to sculpt a clay baby. I've tried. It's impossible. I ended up with something that looked quite scary and not very baby-like at all.
His figures, largely cast from his own body, have become his trademark. He is best known for the Angel of the North and the figures on Crosby Beach, which, last I heard, were going to be kept there for good, much to my joy. I haven't been to see them, but will do at some point. However, Londoners or visitors to the capital (specifically Westminster and Lambeth) should keep their eyes peeled, as there are figures scattered about the city, perched on the tops of enormously high buildings. I saw one of these not far from Waterloo a few months ago. It frightened me to death, as I thought it was somebody about to take a suicidal leap. I'm not sure if they're still there, but I hope so!
He will blow your mind. If you only look at one of the artists listed here PLEASE look at Wigan's work. It is amazing! He has sculpted Rodin's 'The Thinker' on the head of a pin, and if that wasn't enough, he's done Henry VIII and his wives inside the eye of a needle. All I can say is, he must have awesome eyesight.
5. Ron Mueck
Aussie born Mueck is described as a hyper-realist sculptor. His sculptures not only look completely real, but he plays around with scale, producing massive babies, tiny people and miniature crotchety old women. They are brilliant and will bring a smile of wonderment to your face.
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