25 Mind-Boggling Sculptures that Defy The Laws of Physics
The purpose of art is to make the comfortable uncomfortable, and the uncomfortable comfortable – We challenge concepts that we are used to, yet find solace in the act itself, and when it comes to public art, no other work of art challenges the status quo than statues that defy logic and our understanding of how things work.
In this post we will be looking at 25 jaw-dropping statues that suspend not only the laws of physics but also our belief in the norm – I hope you will have as much fun as I did, having my mind twisted and boggled by these amazing sculptures.
And if these are not enough, follow the credit source and check out more amazing art by the masters on their website or account.
#1 – Flying Stone Statue in Cairo
The poor stone is trying to “hang on” to its friend, who is at the verge of floating away!
IMAGE: TheDankula
#2 – Floating Elephant
Bet you can’t pull off a horizontal handstand, er, I mean trunkstand.
IMAGE: Daniel Firman
#3 – Leaning Statue
As if Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal’s gravity-defying stunt wasn’t enough, here comes a statue from Emil Alzamora pulling off a reverse Smooth Criminal.
IMAGE: Emil Alzamora
#4 – Quintet of Smile
If you have never thought of human teeth as creepy, now you know better – The stuff of nightmares from Hitoshi Itoh – There’s more in his personal Flickr account.
IMAGE: Hirotoshi Itoh
#5 – Force of Nature II
An amazing statue exemplifying the ferocity of Mother Nature’s wrath – She could you blow you off your toes if you don’t treat her right – At least this statue is still standing firm as a reminder for us to take better care of our one and only home.
IMAGE: Lorenzo Quinn
#6 – Suspended
Watch as these brave ladies stand under this precariously suspended err, boxes?
IMAGE: Raganella
#7 – Circus Act Between Coconut Trees
Balancing a sculpture on a thin rope is hard, but making one pose for gymnastic rings between two coconut trees is definitely harder.
IMAGE: Jerzy Kedziora
#8 – Hair-Raising Sculpture
A structure of a lady on a cakey surface, nothing special about it until you realize that this is a nano sculpture that measures 80 x 100 x 20 microns, created on a strand of hair (the average diameter is 40-50 microns, for your reference).
IMAGE: Jonty Hurwitz
#9 – A New Form of Life
Have you ever seen a sculpture move? They are called kinetic sculptures, and according to Theo Jansen, they are a new form of life.
#10 – A Car and its Parking Space
Poor car got caught in a pavement wave of the weird kind and got stuck there.
IMAGE: Alex Chinneck
#11 – Tour by Catellan
Not really a statue but come on(!) look at how that hoop is holding up the table.
IMAGE: Cattelan Italia
#12 – Gravity Defying Cars
If rockets, don’t work, maybe these cars will get the deed done.
IMAGE: Gerry Judah
#13 – The Farm, Kaipara, New Zealand
Somewhere in New Zealand, a giant dropped his hankerchief.
IMAGE: Neil Dawson
#14 – Appearance Emptiness
This is probably one of the most zen sculptures I have ever encountered.
IMAGE: Sukhi Barber
#15 – Sculpture by the Sea by David McCracken
The stairway leading to heaven appears to have landed on a seaside in Australia.
IMAGE: Michael Blair
#16 – Impossible Sculpture
An optical illusion IRL.
IMAGE: Francis Tabary
#17 – Floating Giant Tap
Someone broke logic and this is what we have to deal with now.
IMAGE: Bill Liao
#18 – Giant Clothespin
That giant who lost his hankerchief, decided to do his laundry.
IMAGE: Mehmet Ali Usyal
#19 – Monte-Meubles, L’ultime Déménagement
We all want to live in a castle in the sky, just maybe not this one – There are a few rooms, floors, walls, windows and ceilings missing.
IMAGE: Leandro Elrich
#20 – Sand Sculpture
We are all familiar with sandcastles, but a sand sculpture that defies gravity? Probably your first time seeing one too.
IMAGE: Matt
#21 – Rugby Legend
Here we are looking at a great display of knowledge of structural engineering and sculpting.
IMAGE: Karen
#22 – Floating Ball of Steel
This ball-and-chain doesn’t look heavy at all.
IMAGE: WA Sculptor Scholarship
#23 – Boy with Dolphin
An amazing sculpture of a boy and a dolphin, great balancing act that makes people wonder how it’s possible (one word: cantilever).
IMAGE: Alamy
#24 – Big Sculpture Balancing Act
Suspended in mid-air supported only by a thin rope, this sculpture is an awe-inspiring, heart attack-inducing masterpiece.
IMAGE: Jerzy Kedziora
#25 – Invisible Statues
Something is broken in the matrix – These guys didn’t load correctly.
IMAGE: Rob Mullholland
What are your thoughts about these physics-defying sculptures? Did they freak you out or did they inspire you to make your own physics-defying artwork today?