Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Nicola Costantino’s Sculptures Confront Animal Cruelty

Argentinian-born artist Nicola Constantino pushes the controversial issue of animal rights and the relationship between birth and mortality in her sometimes graphic, always peculiar sculptures of animals. Whether a pig hanging from a conveyor belt, or birds compressed into perfectly round balls, the sculpted animals in Constantino’s works are manipulated in ways that feel forced and staged for human needs.

Argentinian-born artist Nicola Constantino pushes the controversial issue of animal rights and the relationship between birth and mortality in her sometimes graphic, always peculiar sculptures of animals. Whether a pig hanging from a conveyor belt, or birds compressed into perfectly round balls, the sculpted animals in Constantino’s works are manipulated in ways that feel forced and staged for human needs.

The series “Cajas” features casts of horse fetuses contorted and twisted to fit in the sides of wooden boxes. The stony-white color appears as marble or ivory, causing one to wonder if the horses are being memorialized, like the deceased sculpted on Roman sarcophagi, or if they are packaged with unsavory motives.

Other sculptures include Costantino’s “Bolas” series, in which various likenesses of animal fetuses – chickens, calves, pigs, and Rhea birds – are molded into balls of different sizes, and cast in droll materials. Calf balls for example, were cast in polyester resin and speckled around a vast green field, where they remain as part of a private collection. The final products are aesthetically interesting to view and at first glance, resemble foreign planets engulfed in a cloudy storm. However, upon closer examination, the animals begin to take shape and the viewer is often left with unsettling sensations.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Evren Erol’s mixed-media sculptures appear to exist in states of change, dissipating or entering into life. Blending acrylic painting on polyester and wood, the artist is able to convey figures that are seemingly liquid in nature. And while cerebral in concept, the work’s most striking quality is how visceral that transformation appears.
The shape of a church is indefinitely sketched into the landscape in the latest project by architecture duo, Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. Comprised of Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh, their series of see-through churches, "Reading Between the Lines," are not intended to be functional as shelter. They are more like sculptures that borrow design inspiration from local churches' architecture in the area. See more after the jump!
Over the past few decades, Shary Boyle has garnered attention for a multifaceted practice that includes ceramics, painting, installations, drawings, and more. In this post, we take a look at some of her recent sculptures, which toy with vintage and ancient incarnations of rendering humanity through ceramics.
Wesley T. Wright’s stoneware sculptures put surreal touches on the natural world. His new show at La Luz de Jesus Gallery, titled “Ark of Man,” highlights the artist’s interest in folklore. The show runs April 5-28 at the Los Angeles venue. (Wright was last mentioned on cctvta.com here.)

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List