Gabriel Vinas (@gabrielvinasart) is a Cuban-born American sculptor whose work explores the human condition through figurative sculpture, portraiture and the study of human evolution. His MFA thesis focused on how scientists reconstruct ancient beings, and his practice brings together classical sculpting, production modeling and scientific anatomical reconstruction. Under the veil in this piece is an Australopithecus mother holding the child she has lost. Both figures are built on speculatively reconstructed skeletons, based on what Australopithecus skulls can tell us. The video shows them come together step by step: removable armatures first, then foam to bulk out the shapes, then clay for the bodies and muscles, and finally the heavy draped cloth that hides them both. Every fold of that veil is sculpted by hand. For Gabriel, the piece is about the questions science may never answer. How do you measure the grief of a mother who lived millions of years ago? Drawing on philosophy, mythology and the natural world, he uses sculpture to explore how we might best spend our attention in the short span of a human life. What did you feel when you saw what was under the veil? 👇 #art #sculpture #clay #sculptor #artist
