Photorealistic sculptures are those which show life and nature as it really is. Artists who achieve such highly detailed works are known as hyperrealists. Six such artists are Ron Mueck, Evan Penny, Jamie Salmon, Duane Hanson, Sam Jinks and Adam Beane.

Their human sculptures, which look alive, display every freckle, wrinkle and rash. Ranging from newborns to the elderly, these sculptures could easily pass as humans. Here’s a quick look at the scintillating six.

Having spent over a decade sculpting, Ron Mueck continually creates magnificent pieces. His skills were seen in the 1986 cult-classic the Labyrinth, where he used his talent to create some of the startling visual effects. After a successful career as a visual effects artist, he decided to concentrate on his photorealistic sculptures.

Over the years has Ron become well known for his ability to recreate all aspects of the human body, making his works either bigger or smaller than life size. His massive infant heads and full-body sculptures are created in incredibly natural positions and expressions, which only serves to enhance the photorealism of the sculptures.

Evan Penny displays every imperfection, from saggy skin to liver sports, in his sculptural work. Choosing to focus on older people, his creations rarely extend below the waist and he instead focuses on their torsos and faces. He skillfully and painstakingly implants each strand of hair for his sculptures, a process that yields incredibly realistic results. Not only does Evan sculpt but he also has visual effects background, and has lent his skills to both the X-Men and Johnny Mnemonic movies.

Jamie Salmon uses human hair to heighten the appearance of his works. He uses a complex, multi-stage process to create each piece, which can take weeks or even months to complete. Joining him is Duane Henson whose sculptures of lazily lounging people are amusing. He created his first photorealistic sculpture over three decade ago, making his artworks an exceptional sight.

While other artists create human figures that could be real, Sam Jinks shifts to a more unusual concept. His faces, which he tattoos or deforms, are rather dull with only the sleeping infant piece making his collection pleasant to view. Finishing off are the intriguing creations of Adam Beane, who began creating his grey sculptures of movie stars and soccer players seven years ago. To make his creations more photorealistic, he developed his own material, CX5, which gives his action figures a more detailed look.

ISSUE 03 FEATURES:

• INTERNATIONAL ART: PICASSO COMES TO AFRICA
• DUTCH-INSPIRED SCULPTURES: DUTCH DYNAMIC
• SOUTH AFRICAN STYLE: THE CAPE FRANCOLIN ART HOTEL
• PHOTOGRAPHY: THE NEW NOIR
• PHOTOGRAPHY: ELINE KELLER-SORENSEN
• INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE: ROTTERDAM – A RISING PHOENIX
• LOCAL ARCHITECTURE: THE REBIRTH OF JOZI
• GREEN ARCHITECTURE: HOLCIM AWARDS FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION
• FASHION PROFILE: THE GRACE OF A SWAN
• FURNITURE DESIGN: FILLING UP WITH ROCKETFUEL
• LIFESTYLE/DESIGN: MOJO
• DESIGN: CUTTING EDGE DESIGN: MATT BLACK
• ANIMATION: ONCE BITTEN
• GRAPHICS: NEW FASHION ILLUSTRATION: MARTIN DAWBER
• PRODUCT DESIGN: DESIGNER COFFEE CUP SLEEVES
• LOCAL MUSIC: SCIENTIFIC SOUND: CHROMOSCIENCE
• SA ELECTRO JAZZ: GOLD FINGERS
• INTERNATIONAL MUSIC: RELAX
• SA VJ’S: AUDIO VISUAL
• GLOBAL CINEMA: CINEMA’S FIRST GENIUS
• CINEMA: CELLPHONE CINEMA