Uncanny Objects by Joyce Lin Blur Distinctions Between Reality and the Fantastical

Whether enclosed in clear acrylic or seemingly sliced from a single tree, Joyce Lin’s sculptures examine themes of interconnectedness and the Anthropocene, which describes our planet’s most recent epoch and the way humans significantly impact its ecosystems and climate.

“I am both disturbed and captivated by the paradoxes of industrialized society,” Lin says in a statement, “where modes of production and disposal are often obscured to the public, yet people have more technology than ever to make their imagined worlds a reality.”

two views of a sculptural chair that looks as though it has been carved directly out of the middle of a tree, with bark on the back — “Wood Chair in Oak” (2024), oil paint, epoxy clay, plywood, MDF, and wood, 16.5 x 16.25 x 34.75 inches

Lin’s uncanny pieces meld form and function, taking the recognizable shapes of furniture and food and transforming them into playful meditations on mass production and consumption. She often uses organic materials like wood, augmenting the surfaces with synthetic mediums like epoxy, resin, and oil paint to preserve their appearance in perpetuity. Some works, like the Wooden Chair series, are entirely composed of engineered materials.

“I love to dissect and understand things, and my works often feature objects—usually a chair—sliced open to expose an inner structure; to express an inner truth, so to speak,” Lin tells Colossal. She manipulates the structures extensively, blurring the reality of what she describes as the “insides” and the “outsides,” so the composition takes on a fantastical quality.

“I don’t think they’re so convincing when you really zoom in, so it’s interesting to see people assume they’re somehow grown or AI-generated, even though they take an incredible amount of manual labor and time to create,” Lin adds. “I often think about distortions in our perception of reality, (which is) probably why people keep sending me those is-it-cake videos.”

The artist is currently working toward a solo exhibition later this year at R & Company, and you can explore more on her website and Instagram.

a sculptural chair in which wooden pieces like the seat, leds, and back, are individually encased in plexiglass — “Exploded Chair” (2019), maple and acrylic, 16 x 16 x 35 inches

three wooden banana sculptures — “Woodnanas” (2024) wood, steel, polyester resin, and epoxy clay

a sculptural chair that looks as though it has been carved directly out of the middle of a tree, with bark on the back — “Wood Chair in Ash” (2024), oil paint, epoxy clay, plywood, MDF, and wood. Beetles: epoxy, wire, 16.5 x 16.25 x 34.75 inches

a detail of a sculptural chair that looks as though it has been carved directly out of the middle of a tree, with bark on the back, and a small beetle crawling along the edge — Detail of “Wood Chair in Ash”

a sculptural chair that looks as though it has long fur or dreads, like a komondor or similar dog — “Root Chair” (2023), found driftwood and walnut stain, 29 x 30 x 34 inches

a sculptural stool that looks as though it has been carved directly out of the middle of a tree, with bark on one side — “Wood Stool”

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