Have you ever noticed that tourists try to get a picture near every boring sculpture art or statue they can find? Most of the time, they don’t even care who made it, or why it is there in the first place. The worst part of it is when your friends come back from vacation, and you have to watch all those crappy DSC0001.jpg, DSC0002.jpg… DSC1562.jpg tourist attraction photos.
In order to show how pointless it is to take photos next to every famous sculpture out there – every time I travel I ask people to take pictures of me near garbage bins. However, there are some truly amazing exceptions, I must say, and I’ve put them all in this little list of interesting sculptures. Public art doesn’t need to be so boring, so why is this always the case? Instead, these weird and sometimes controversial sculptures have made a name for themselves by breaking the mold (so to speak). And some of these funny statues will definitely create a talking point the next time you’re sharing your vacation snaps.
Hope you like it, but if you think we missed some modern art sculptures worth talking about here, don’t be angry – just share it by leaving a comment! So, enjoy this collection of strange but cool sculptures from around the world!
1. Upside Down Charles La Trobe Statue (Australia)
This weird sculpture artwork stands on his head in Melbourne at La Trobe University Bundoora.
(Bamboos for phil.lees)
2. Vomiting Fountain Sculpture (London, UK)
(Bamboos for akanekal)
3. Device to Root Out Evil (Calgary, Canada)
(Bamboos for whistlepunch)
Designed by Dennis Oppenheim. Located in the neighbourhood of Ramsay, Calgary, Canada.
4. Traffic Light Tree (London, UK)
(Bamboos for Squirmelia)
Designed by Pierre Vivant, “Traffic Light Tree” has 75 sets of traffic lights. The sculpture was created to mimic a tree structure and reflect the energy of the developing Canary Wharf area.
5. Skull (Prague, Czech Republic)
(Bamboos for Steve Montgomery)
A really weird artwork, that is said to be “inspired” by the works of Kafka.
6. Peeing Guys by D. Cerny (Prague, Czech Rep.)
(Bamboos for Chaymation)
(Bamboos for Irwin)
"The idea behind this unique art is disarmingly simple. Two bronze sculptures pee into their oddly-shaped enclosure (actually it's the shape of the Czech Republic).
The peeing statues also move realistically. An electric mechanism driven by a couple of microprocessors swivels the upper part of the body, while the penis goes up and down. The stream of water writes quotes from famous Prague residents.
Visitors can interrupt them by sending an SMS message from a mobile phone to a number displayed next to the sculptures. The living statue then "writes" the text of the message, before carrying on as before." Chaymation
7. Nation for Itself Forever by D. Cerny
(Bamboos for davidcerny.cz)
To keep this installation art piece safe, it has been changed more or less due to fear of protests that the project is aimed at the National Theater itself. Check out this list of 10 Bizzare Sculptures by David Cerny for more from the uniquely brilliant artist.
8. Disturbing Ballerina Man (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
(Bamboos for SeraphimC)
9. Engagement Rings (Vancouver, Canada)
(Bamboos for Troy B Thompson)
Two engagement rings in the ground at English Bay - must be a good place to get engaged. Designed by Dennis Oppenheim.
10. Skeletons In Love (Nong Khai, N.E. Thailand)
(Bamboos for peterkellystudios)
11. Würsa 18000Km From Earth (France)
(Bamboos for dalbera)
At a distance of 18,000 km from the earth, the elephant Wursa could balance on her trunk. It is on the basis of learned scientific calculations that Daniel Firman reached this conclusion, and came above all to produce this extraordinary work which confounds all our certainties regarding the gravitation of bodies.
12. Giant Tap (Tecnopark Wintertur, Switzerland)
(Bamboos for Bill Liao)
13. Tübingen Microbiology Institute (Germany)
(Bamboos for jim265)
Did we forget to include some beautiful sculptures on our list? Share it with other pandas!