His trompe l’oeil sculptures appear to be made of wood but are actually clay
Christopher David White’s work is proof that appearances are deceiving. At first glance, it seems that the surreal sculptures of him were carved from wood. Now he looks again.
The pieces are not made of wood; they are actually clay. By mimicking the texture and grain of wood (including its knots), White can convincingly recreate the human form so that it appears as if it has been carved from a block of wood rather than built from scratch.
White uses trompe l’oeil to send a powerful message about humanity’s place in the world. “The human being is to nature what the skin is to the cortex, what the roots are to the veins,” he writes.
“Humanity is inextricably linked to the natural world. Our biological patterns repeat themselves throughout the universe, from the micro to the macro, from our DNA to the cosmos. However, we have created barriers between us and nature. We have put ourselves in opposition to this world that sustains us. We have become strangers to everything that makes us who we are.”
Since we last marveled at his work, White has created ceramic pieces that explore our relationship with nature and how everything we do affects the fragile balance between humanity and the environment.
Clay plays an integral role in his concept: it has the ability to mimic a wide variety of materials, something the artist takes advantage of, especially when it comes to the idea of illusion.
“The true illusion is the world that humanity has created. It is an existence that seeks to separate itself from nature,” explains White.
“The juxtaposition of natural and man-made features in combination with scale, proportion, and material bias help create an altered perception, forcing the viewer to look more closely both externally and internally.”
