Thursday Salute to Originals: Getting Back to Your Roots
Many poets, painters, and sculptors have all wondered at the connection between humans and nature. Few have ever crafted sculptures of trees actually growing out of a person’s head.
South Korean artist Sun-Hyuk Kim bends pipes and wires into forms that are one part tree and one part the human cardiovascular system. The roots of the branchy wireframes are then carefully crafted into shapes around human anatomy, resembling blood vessels flowing through the bodies in various motions.
Sun-Hyuk’s work is meant to illustrate a sort of connection between humanity and nature. It also foils the completeness of the tree’s form against incomplete human bodies in action — what Sun-Hyuk calls the “truth” of mankind’s imperfect existence.
“My art is a tool to discover the truth and remind myself [and] viewers through various media,” said Sun-Hyuk in an interview with This is Colossal.
Each sculpture is made entirely of stainless steel and often depicts some dramatic episode of the human story. The bodies are sometimes slumped and forlorn while others stand upright. Some exclude entire body parts, leaving observers to imagine the complete scene.
This Thursday, we are saluting Sun-Hyuk Kim’s steel tree people. Whether you are seeking truth in art or just enjoying fascinating craftsmanship, the intricate work here can captivate both the eye and the soul.
Sources: Sun-Hyuk Kim, This is Colossal