Thursday Salute to Originals: Unfinished Wood Carvings
Polish woodworker Alicja Kwade creates unfinished furniture, but with a twist. Her stools, chairs, and tables come with bark and tree stump still attached.
The carved furniture alone is relatively simple — no ornate legs or detailed etchings for decoration. What makes these carvings unique is the half to one-quarter remaining tree trunks.
The furniture disappears perfectly into the natural source material, almost as if the sculptures are slowly growing out of trunks themselves. Perhaps the most impressive dimension of these sculptures is the perfect proportions. The lines continue seamlessly into the bark, and your eyes can follow them to imagine exactly where the missing legs or a bit of the table could be.
Balance is a visible theme across each piece, with comparatively giant pieces of raw material standing freely, supported effortlessly by the thin legs of the furniture. Even with such a stark contrast in size, the carved elements appear to stand on their own without odd angles to support their tree trunks.
Kwade’s carvings just finished their debut in New York at The Armory Show in March, returning to her collection for the time being.
You can view more wooden carvings on Kwade’s Instagram. For a more in-depth look at the sculptor’s background and aesthetic, visit Alicja Kwade’s portfolio site.
Sources: Alicja Kwade, This is Colossal