Peering into the subconscious of an artist can be wildly strange, perplexing, baiting, offensive, mystifying, and sometimes, when it becomes particularly absorbing, not something you really want to look at.
If you thought you could turn away from Eric van Straaten’s menagerie of renegade-willed pubescent girls — no dice. On January 16th through to the 19th the Dutch artist will exhibit new, large-scale work at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam as part of the REALISME art fair. Measuring nearly 4-feet, his featured work is expected to be the largest full coloured 3D printed sculpture in the world.
We’ve covered Eric’s work before, and appreciated it for its technical skill and stylistic polish. And van Straaten’s work is also garnering attention for i.materialise, the Belgium based 3D printing company that manufactures his designs.
The additive manufacturing process that gives van Straaten’s sculptures a clean finish does have some limitations. Size constraints as to what can be printed by the machines typically max out at a height of 14 inches.
What makes van Straaten’s upcoming sculpture intriguing from a design point of view, is the inherent challenge in arranging a total of twelve 3D-printed segments into a nearly 4-foot sculpture. It would seem the sculpture must be assembled in such a way that the lines between the segments do not interfere with the seamless aesthetic for which he has become known.
REALISME will contain the works of more than two dozen artists emphasizing figurative art as well as include a “special exhibition” on 3D printed art lead by Dutch company 3Dportal. Among the events, 3Dportal visitors will have the opportunity to pose for 3D miniature portraits and learn about 3D printing innovations.
