Quirky Collections of Found Objects Preoccupy the Anatomical Sculptures of EMXW’s ‘Heads’

Art

#anatomy
#Edwige Massart
#found objects
#sculpture
#Xavier Wynn

Quirky Collections of Found Objects Preoccupy the Anatomical Sculptures of EMXW’s ‘Heads’

August 11, 2023

Grace Ebert

All images © EMXW, shared with permission

If you’ve ever felt like your head is full of cotton—or sea shells or dryer lint—well, you’re not alone. For the better part of a decade, Chicago-based artists Edwige Massart and Xavier Wynn (previously) have been creating sliced sculptural skulls full of everything from yarn and river rocks to crayon tips, shattered car windows, circuit boards, and sleeping pills. The occupied minds are part of the ongoing series Heads, which distills the complexities of relationships into dense, topographical psyches.

Working as EMXW, the duo begins each piece with a mishmash of found objects that together, create a narrative or “topic of conversation.” They each create simultaneously, adding red LEGO for teeth or shaping a jawbone with the broken handle of a cup to render a thematic collection that relates to an imagined dialogue between the two. The resulting works are playful and rich with texture and color as they explore the inner workings of the mind and the unique makeup of our emotional landscapes.

Some of EMXW’s most recent sculptures are on view through the end of the month at Gallery 901 in Evanston, Illinois. Find more of the duo’s work on Instagram.

#anatomy
#Edwige Massart
#found objects
#sculpture
#Xavier Wynn

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