Cardboard Takes a Fantastical Turn in Greg Olijnyk’s Mechanical Insects and Wondrous Dream Factory

Art

#cardboard
#Greg Olijnyk
#insects
#science fiction
#sculpture

Cardboard Takes a Fantastical Turn in Greg Olijnyk’s Mechanical Insects and Wondrous Dream Factory

January 18, 2024

Grace Ebert

a detail image of cardboard ants with glowing eyes

Detail of “Ants,” 50 x 50 x 15 centimeters. All photos by Griffin Simm, © Greg Olijnyk, shared with permission

Hordes of ants with serrated mandibles, a coiled caterpillar, and puffy white cotton-ball clouds materialize in Greg Olijnyk’s Melbourne studio. The artist continues his ever-growing collection of cardboard sculptures augmented with LED lights, toothpicks, and “a lot of hours and lots of coffee.” His most recent works include a trio of mechanical insects presented like entomological displays, their legs and heads revealing Olijnyk’s meticulous attention to detail and devotion to rendering minuscule features. Keeping with the wondrous world that he’s been expanding the last few years, the artist also fashioned a “Dream Factory,” a whimsical manufacturing plant shipping out the most fantastical imaginings.

For more of Olijnyk’s sci-fi universe of robots and uncanny architecture, visit his site and Instagram.

an overview image of cardboard ants appearing to crawl out of a hole

“Ants,” 50 x 50 x 15 centimeters

an overview image of a cardboard fly with four wings and long antennae

“Fly,” 50 x 50 x 15 centimeters

a close up image of the head of a cardboard fly with glowing eyes

Detail of “Fly,” 50 x 50 x 15 centimeters

an overview image of a coiled, C-shaped cardboard caterpillar

“Caterpillar,” 50 x 50 x 15 centimeters

a close up image of a cardboard caterpillar with lights glowing on its head

Detail of “Caterpillar,” 50 x 50 x 15 centimeters

a cardboard "dream factory" with lights illuminating stacks and puffy white clouds falling from a conveyor belt into the box of a dumptruck

“The Dream Factory,” 75 x 90 x 65 centimeters

a detail image of a cardboard "dream factory" with lights illuminating stacks and small walkways encircling the space

Detail of “The Dream Factory,” 75 x 90 x 65 centimeters

#cardboard
#Greg Olijnyk
#insects
#science fiction
#sculpture

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