In his artistic practice, Daniel Arsham doesn’t like to limit himself. Whether it be his intricate paintings, surreal installations, or unexpected works of architecture, the New York-based artist moves within and beyond specific media. Lately, however, Arsham has been intrigued by labyrinths, and how to superimpose them upon the human body.
The fascination has led him to create a series of evocative sculptures, straddling the lines between past, present, and future. These sculptures typically depict women in profile, their heads carved into architectural and labyrinthine forms. Arsham exploits the natural curves of a typical facial structure, reimagining them as cascading stairwells, monumental arches, and dark rooms crowned by columns. The effect is both contemporary and ancient, existing outside of a specific time period and instead extracting elements from several eras.
“[These new labyrinth works] pull from a bunch of different references like ancient architecture ruins, temples, and even a bit of brutalism,” Arsham writes of the series. “They feel like they could have been excavated from the past or dropped here from the future.”
What adds to the appeal of these sculptures is that their labyrinthine elements are disguised. From one angle, the women appear to be completely normal, their faces intact and blankly staring ahead into the distance, while from another vantage point, the hollow architecture suddenly emerges. Viewers are thus required to adjust their perspective, carefully choreographing their movements to experience the sculpture in its entirety.
“I think there’s something powerful about when a sculpture starts to guide how people move and how they experience space,” Arsham explains. “Some moments feel really open and airy, and others feel tight and dense.”
Like Arsham’s other projects, the labyrinth sculptures are made even richer because of their materiality. The pieces have been cast in everything from bronze to sand, conveying a raw and rugged sensibility that increases their weight and texture.
“These are just super physical objects,” Arsham adds. “They’re meant to live in that space between ruin and architecture, and memory and invention.”
To learn more about the artist, visit Daniel Arsham’s website and follow him on Instagram.
For several months, artist Daniel Arsham has created sculptures of women, their heads carved into architectural and labyrinthine forms.
Daniel Arsham: Website | Instagram
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