The intersection of technology and art has always been a fertile ground for innovation, and the advent of 3D printing has ushered in a particularly exciting chapter. While some might dismiss 3d Printer Art as simply a novelty, a closer look reveals a dynamic and evolving field where artists are pushing creative boundaries and challenging our perceptions of art itself. The initial fascination with the technology often overshadows the artistic merit, leading to the joke: “How do you know you are looking at a piece of 3D printed art? Because everybody tells you.” This highlights a common perception – that the medium itself is the story, rather than the artistic vision behind it. However, to truly appreciate 3D printer art, we need to move beyond the technological marvel and delve into the ideas and concepts that artists are bringing to life with this tool. Just as a painter uses brushes or a sculptor uses chisels, the 3D printer is simply a means to an end. The true essence of art lies in the artist’s ingenuity and the message conveyed through their creation.
This exploration will introduce you to seven artists who are not just utilizing 3D printing, but are actively redefining what 3D printer art can be. These artists are chosen not because they use 3D printers, but because their artistic ideas are compelling and their work sparks conversation, regardless of the fabrication method. They demonstrate that when employed thoughtfully, 3D printing transcends mere technological gimmickry and becomes a powerful instrument for artistic expression.
Rirkrit Tiravanija: Relational Art and Artificial Nature
Rirkrit Tiravanija, a prominent figure in Relational Aesthetics, is known for art that prioritizes human interaction and experience. His work often blurs the lines between art object and social engagement. While famous for his “pad thai” exhibition where he cooked and served food to gallery visitors, Tiravanija’s engagement with 3D printer art offers a different dimension to his exploration of human experience. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2017, Tiravanija presented an immersive installation featuring a bamboo maze. Within this labyrinth, visitors encountered five 3D-printed bonsai trees perched on wooden pedestals inspired by Constantin Brâncuși.
Rirkrit Tiravanija’s 3D printed bonsai trees challenge perceptions of nature and artifice within an immersive maze installation.
The crucial element here is not the 3D printing itself, but the artificiality of the bonsai trees. Bonsai are natural forms meticulously shaped by human intervention to appear natural. Tiravanija’s 3D printed versions take this concept further, highlighting the increasing artificiality of our environment and our relationship with nature in the contemporary world. Combined with the maze and art historical references, the 3D printer art element becomes part of a larger experience prompting reflection on art, history, and human connection.
Wieki Somers: Vanitas in the Age of Consumption
Dutch artist and designer Wieki Somers delves into profound themes of mortality and consumerism through her 3D printer art. Drawing inspiration from 17th-century Vanitas paintings, which used symbolic objects like skulls to represent the fleeting nature of life and the emptiness of earthly pursuits, Somers created “Consume or Conserve” in 2010. This series of sculptures, born from a design contest challenging artists to consider “progress,” consists of three still-life tableaus. Each tableau features everyday objects like a scale, toaster, and vacuum cleaner, all meticulously 3D printed from human ashes.
Wieki Somers’ “Consume or Conserve” series uses 3D printed human remains to create vanitas-inspired sculptures, critiquing consumer culture and mortality.
Somers’ work is a stark commentary on technological advancement and its potential consequences. She questions the value of extended lifespans if we merely prolong a cycle of relentless consumption. By literally transforming human remains into consumer products using 3D printer art techniques, Somers forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about our material desires and the ultimate fate of our physical selves in an age of technological excess.
Stephanie Lempert: Sculpting Language with Technology
New York artist Stephanie Lempert explores the power of communication and the tangible forms of language through her art. She masterfully blends traditional artistic concerns with contemporary technologies, including 3D printer art. Lempert’s “Reconstructed Reliquaries” series exemplifies her approach. These sculptural relics are not carved from stone or cast in bronze, but rather constructed from language itself, brought into physical existence through 3D printing. While she prefers the industry term “rapid prototype sculpture,” the essence remains the same – using digital fabrication to give form to abstract concepts.
Stephanie Lempert’s “Reconstructed Reliquaries” series uses 3D printing to materialize language into tangible sculptural forms, exploring communication and memory.
These 3D printer art pieces are multi-layered. They are visually compelling sculptures, but also physical manifestations of stories, histories, and memories. Lempert’s work highlights how language shapes our reality and how technology can be used to make the intangible – words, narratives – concrete and present in the physical world, prompting viewers to consider the very building blocks of meaning.
Theo Jansen: Breathing Digital Life into Kinetic Creatures
Theo Jansen, a Dutch artist who merges art, engineering, and design, gained international recognition for his Strandbeests – monumental kinetic sculptures that resemble skeletal animals and appear to walk autonomously on beaches. These impressive creations, typically constructed from PVC pipes, embody a unique blend of organic movement and mechanical ingenuity. Jansen has extended his artistic reach by making miniature, 3D printed versions of his Strandbeests accessible to a wider audience. This move democratizes his art and explores the potential of digital reproduction in the realm of sculpture.
Theo Jansen’s miniature 3D printed Strandbeests make his kinetic sculptures accessible, democratizing art and blending digital DNA with physical form.
By offering plans for his 3D printer art Strandbeests online, Jansen invites anyone with access to the technology to participate in the creation and propagation of his artistic vision. This concept of “digital DNA” being injected into 3D printing systems underscores the transformative potential of digital fabrication to disseminate art and blur the lines between creator and user, original and reproduction, in the world of 3D printer art.
Nick Ervinck: Sculpting Space with Vivid Forms
Belgian artist Nick Ervinck creates 3D printer art that explodes with vibrant colors and complex, organic forms. His sculptures, ranging from miniature pieces to monumental public installations, possess a dynamic quality, seeming to both occupy and generate space simultaneously. Ervinck’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of 3D printing technology is evident in his development of custom tools and techniques. For him, 3D printing is not just a production method, but a fundamental part of his artistic process, allowing him to realize his unique and visionary creations.
Nick Ervinck’s “EGNOABER” exemplifies his vibrant and complex 3D printer art sculptures that challenge spatial perceptions and push technological boundaries.
Ervinck’s 3D printer art is characterized by its biomorphic shapes, reminiscent of natural growth patterns and cellular structures, yet rendered in striking artificial colors and materials. This juxtaposition creates a captivating tension between the organic and the synthetic, the natural and the digital, making his work a powerful exploration of form, color, and the possibilities of 3D printer art in contemporary sculpture.
Shane Hope: Nano-Structures in Abstract Landscapes
Brooklyn-based artist Shane Hope integrates 3D printer art into his abstract paintings in a unique and subtle way. From a distance, his works appear as richly textured paintings with impasto-like brushstrokes. However, closer inspection reveals that these textures are actually composed of meticulously assembled 3D-printed nano-structures, resembling molecular models. The technological aspect of Hope’s art is not immediately apparent, nor is it essential to appreciate the aesthetic qualities of his paintings. Yet, understanding the use of 3D printer art adds layers of meaning to his work, prompting reflection on the scale of creation and the unseen worlds within our visible reality.
Shane Hope’s “Femtofacturin’ Fluidentifried-Fleshionistas” uses 3D-printed nano-structures in abstract paintings, blurring the lines between painting and digital fabrication.
Hope’s 3D printer art practice demonstrates how technology can be seamlessly integrated into traditional art forms, enriching them with new conceptual and material dimensions. By embedding micro-scale 3D-printed elements within his paintings, he challenges our perception of scale and invites viewers to consider the intricate and often invisible structures that underpin our world, bridging the gap between the macro and micro, the painted and the printed.
Monika Horcicova: Haunting Beauty in Skeletal Forms
Czech artist Monika Horcicova creates hauntingly beautiful sculptures that often explore themes of human anatomy, particularly bones and skeletal structures. Her compositions challenge our notions of mortality, fragility, and human potential. While not exclusively reliant on 3D printing, Horcicova frequently utilizes this technology to create her plaster composite sculptures. 3D printer art allows her to achieve intricate details and complex forms that would be difficult, if not impossible, to realize through traditional sculpting methods.
Monika Horcicova’s “K2” showcases her haunting and intricate 3D printed plaster composite sculptures, exploring human anatomy and mortality.
Horcicova’s 3D printer art pieces are characterized by their delicate yet powerful presence. The skeletal motifs, rendered with precision and sensitivity through 3D printing, evoke a sense of both vulnerability and resilience. Her work serves as a poignant reminder of our shared human condition and the enduring beauty found even in the most fundamental aspects of our physical existence, demonstrating the emotive power of 3D printer art when combined with profound artistic vision.
These seven artists exemplify how 3D printer art is evolving beyond a mere technological trend. They are using 3D printing not as a gimmick, but as a sophisticated tool to realize complex artistic ideas, challenge conventional notions of art, and engage with profound themes relevant to contemporary society. Their work demonstrates that the future of art is not just about the technology, but about the innovative spirit and creative vision of the artists who wield it.
Featured image: Rirkrit Tiravanija – Untitled 2013 (indexical shadow no.1), 2013-2017. Stainless steel base (3 x panels), 3D printed plastic (Bonsai Tree), stainless steel cube (plinth). 35 2/5 × 35 2/5 × 35 2/5 in, 90 × 90 × 90 cm. © Rirkrit Tiravanija and Pilar Corrias Gallery, London
By Phillip Barcio
