tim silver bakes bread in busts for sculptural oneirophrenia series

tim silver bakes bread in busts for sculptural oneirophrenia series
all images courtesy of sullivan+strumpf

for this year’s art basel hong kong, sullivan+strumpf gallery presents a selection of photographs and concrete busts by sydney-based artist tim silver that embody his interest in physical impermanence. silver’s ‘oneirophrenia’ series is made from atypical sculptural materials that resist immutability and instead strive towards mutation and modification. for this body of work, the artist has filled busts with raw bread dough which, as it rises, breaks through the figures’ plaster skin. from these results, silver then creates unique casts of each bust rendered in concrete, marble dust and pigment. the use of an organic medium that degrades over time — a method common throughout silver’s oeuvre — confronts the traditional visions of the classical bust and creates random mutations of matter instead.

untitled (oneirophrenia), 2015-2016
archival pigment print on paper | 59.5 x 45.5 cm

the title of the series is derived from the greek words ‘oneiros’ — meaning ‘dreams’ — and ‘phrenos’ — meaning ‘mind’. ‘oneirophrenia’ is defined as a hallucinatory, dreamlike state caused by prolonged sleep deprivation, sensory deprivation, or drug use. in greek mythology, the oneiroi are the personifications of the act of dreaming; morpheus, the winged god of dreams, who can take on a human form; phobetor is the personification of nightmares, masked as animals or monsters; and phantasos are known for creating surreal or illusionary dreams.

art basel hong kong is presented from march 24 – 26, 2016.

untitled (oneirophrenia), 2015-2016
archival pigment print on paper | 59.5 x 45.5 cm

untitled (oneirophrenia), 2015-2016
archival pigment print on paper | 59.5 x 45.5 cm

untitled (oneirophrenia), 2015-2016
archival pigment print on paper | 59.5 x 45.5 cm

untitled (oneirophrenia), 2015-2016
archival pigment print on paper | 59.5 x 45.5 cm

‘untitled (oneirophrenia) #1’, 2015
pure white concrete, marble dust and pigment | 38.5 x 24 x 26 cm

‘untitled (oneirophrenia) #3’, 2015
pure white concrete, marble dust and pigment | 38.5 x 24 x 26 cm

‘untitled (oneirophrenia) #5’, 2015
pure white concrete, marble dust and pigment | 38.5 x 24 x 26 cm

‘untitled (oneirophrenia) #6’ 2015
pure white concrete, marble dust and pigment | 38.5 x 24 x 26 cm