vasily klyukin's 'dancing fairy' sculpture at amfAR cannes

only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible: this ethos, once uttered by famed scientist albert einstein, has become a mantra for architectural designer vasily klyukin. no stranger to the innovative and extra-ordinary — with projects that include a cobra-shaped tower and a flying yacht — klyukin has now shifted into the realm of art, creating a series of ‘live sculptures’ that build on his interest in engineering and fascination with form.

each of the statues comprise a sequence of independent 2D parts that cleverly intersect to create a three dimensional form. without the use of glue or welding, these carefully-shaped metal panels converge to create a free-standing figure that is both flexible and sturdy at the same time.

klyukin’s ‘dancing fairy’ was auctioned at the prestigious amfAR charity gala in cannes

klyukin’s most recent iteration of the ‘live sculpture’ series has been recently presented at the prestigious amfAR charity gala in cannes — the world’s most coveted and successful benefit event for HIV/AIDS research. the vibrantly colored, large-scale ‘dancing fairy’ takes on a feminine silhouette, and seems to twirl in place. klyukin’S donated sculpture was auctioned off by famed art curator simon de pury, and sold for €300,000 to philanthropist and art collector len blavatnik — in whose honor the new building at london’s tate modern was recently named.

in addition to klyukin’s ‘dancing fairy’, other artworks sold in the auction included works by JR, the haas brothers, and richard hambleton — see the full list of items on forbes.

the colorful steel sculpture scales up the ‘live sculpture’ series to new heights

‘dancing fairy’ sold for €300,000, and is now part of philanthropist and art collector len blavatnik’s collection

during milan design week 2017, leaders in the fields of architecture, art, design and the creative industries came together under one roof to celebrate THE DESIGN PRIZE‘s inaugural edition. attendees were invited by founders abitare magazine, designboom and the municipality of milan to the award ceremony on april 4th at the gerolamo theatre in the heart of the city.

winners left with the striking DESIGN PRIZE statuette, created by klyukin especially for the event. the form takes on a contemporary reinterpretation of milan’s madonnina statue that sits atop the highest spire of the city’s duomo. a limited edition of 12 stainless steel art pieces have been made from a sequence of independent parts that intersect to create the shimmering three dimensional form.

klyukin created the golden madonnina — the award statuette for THE DESIGN PRIZE 2017

the form is a contemporary reinterpretation of milan’s ‘madonnina’ that sits atop the highest spire of the city’s duomo

earlier iterations of klyukin’s ‘live sculptures ’ are made in the form of familiar figures, including albert einstein, immanuel kant, and a ‘vogue girl’. connecting each character to its life and work, klyukin has made einstein from 64 burned pages of ‘theory of relativity’; kant from 64 pages of ‘critique of pure reason’, and the ‘vogue girl’ from 32 different colorful vogue magazines covers.

albert einstein — ‘bright personality’ edition
64 pages of ‘theory of general relativity’, metal, etching, acrylic, varnish, glaze

as seen in the video at the top of the page, the flat components fit into a rounded base and are organized in a circular configuration, with pages continually added until the form is full. upon completion, the abstract silhouettes of einstein, kant and a female figure appear as a collection of interconnected parts that can be assembled and disassembled with ease. this aspect of the project draws from klyukin’s interest in history and literature, as he describes, ‘heritage doesn’t turn into ashes when burnt, it doesn’t disappear. instead, it leaves a mark on history, forever immortalizing its creator.’

detail of albert einstein — ‘bright personality’ edition