A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

“Auk Morai R,” clay, plaster, and resin. All images © Tomàs Barceló, shared with permission

Following a series of fantastic steampunk busts, Tomàs Barceló continues to sculpt figures that infuse classical foundations with otherworldly, mechanical visions. The Cala Millor, Mallorca-based artist shapes faces and limbs from fragmented shards of ceramic and plaster, which are often cloaked with symbols, patterns, and filigree rendered in shellac, acrylics, and chalk and iron paints. Barceló is broadly concerned with establishing a unique presence in his works, which tend to confront the viewer with a steadfast stare or calm, spiritual aura, and each sculpture appears as a relic from a futuristic past.

The artist generously shares a timelapse of the process behind the polychromatic tomb-like work “Naar Keizar” shown below, along with other behind-the-scenes glimpses on YouTube. Find a larger archive of his sculptures on his site and Instagram.

 

A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

Detail of “Auk Morai R,” clay, plaster, and resin

A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

“Morai Kera,” clay plaster, resin, shellac, chalk paint, acrylics, and iron paint

A detail photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

Detail of “Erin Llull”

A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

“Naar Keizar,” clay, resin, shellac, and acrylic paint

A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

Detail of “Morai Kera,” clay plaster, resin, shellac, chalk paint, acrylics, and iron paint

A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

Detail of “Naar Keizar,” clay, resin, shellac, and acrylic paint

A photo of a figurative sculpture painted with colorful patterns

“Erin Llull”

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