Skip to main content

Brett Kern fuses 80's pop culture icons into Hellenistic sculptures


Brett Kern is best known for making ceramic art pieces that deceptively look like inflatable toys. But over the course of the last few months, the West Virginia-based clay master and professor have been working hard at finishing a new series of sculptures. 

The series is based on 80's pop culture characters and inspired by the Hellenistic period. In this set, you'll find everything from a drunken E.T. (a recreation of the The Barberini Faun) to a Rafael/The Dying Gaul mashup. Perhaps my favorite of the bunch (pictured below) is ALF Strangling Cat, which is based on the Greek original Boy Strangling Goose.

"I am choosing characters that I sympathize with in some capacity," Brett was quoted as saying by Nerdist.com. "When I used to play Ninja Turtles, I pretended to be Rafael because he was the badass rebel that didn't want to listen to anyone else. Fittingly, my older brother was Leonardo and we clashed often."


 


Brett was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated in 2007 from the California University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelors in Fine Arts. In 2010, he completed his master's degree from the West Virginia University. To know more about Brett and his delightful sculptures, visit his blog or follow him on Instagram.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Dolce Paganne

I can't even begin to think about how Dolce Paganne comes up with any of the shit she creates. I do know I'm hooked and can't stop looking at her drawings. Taking influence from Asian horror comic books, occult history and ancient mythology, the Antwerp-based artist makes her own "sinister" universe which expands with each new piece.  Also known as Ceren Aksungur, Dolce has a vast catalog of different media to view on her website and Instagram, so if you like what you see below, check out the rest of it here and here .

This Filipina artist draws with thread

I love it when I procrastinate online and discover someone's work that really catches my attention. Filipina artist Eugenia Alcaide captures her subjects by sewing their impressions on silkscreens. Though created with black cotton thread, the lines look like intricate sketches of graphite with 3D feel. They're captivating, and I wish there was a video to go with these to see how she plots each piece from start to finish.  Ginny began using thread in 2006 while doing her thesis for her degree in Fine Arts, major in Painting, at the University of the Philippines. One of Artinformal's most revered artists, her first exhibit in the gallery was in 2012, and since then she has gone on to display her work in various local and international art fairs. Her unique ability to create three-dimensional portraits by stretching and draping threads to form sculptural drawings has earned her much acclaim. You can check out more of Ginny's work here .

Some snaps from Eskinita