Liu Wei fills Qatar gallery with sculptures made of dog chews

Chinese artist Liu Wei has often turned unconventional materials into remarkable pieces of art. One of my favorites is Love It! Bite It! – a fictional city that includes the "tastiest bits" of Western Civilization, including the Coliseum and the Guggenheim, made entirely of dog chews.

His large-scale rawhide sculptures are currently on view in Doha as part of of an exhibition curated by artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The show, which runs through July 16, features 15 Chinese creatives and examines their contributions to the international canon of contemporary art. Here are some snaps from the exhibit via designboom:

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James DeRosso's ceramic monsters

I really like these whimsical ceramic creatures by James DeRosso. Yes, they have bulging eyes and toothy grins, but they're not scary at all. The Portland-based artist started making cute monsters while he was a student to jokingly create gargoyle-like guardians for the kiln. After other students kept taking his quirky little figures, he realized there was a market for them. "I'm enjoying the whole monster making niche," James says. "It's amazingly gratifying to be doing ceramics full time and especially to be a teacher introducing kids to the joy of clay." Be sure to visit his website and like his Facebook page for the latest monster news.

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