Mirage (2011)

Mirage (2011)
Artist: Katie Grinnan
Friendly plastic, enamel, and sand
79 x 63 x 72 inches

Yoga is about fluidity and movements, which is why artist Katie Grinnan created a sculpture that reflects the flexibility and dynamism of the activity. Made of sand, plastic and enamel, this time-lapse structure entitled Mirage consists of a yoga routine suspended in time. Each and every sequence of the movements is captured in this extraordinary statue.

At first glace, the art piece looks like a bird spreading its winds; however, upon closer examination, it becomes evident that the layers represent the development of yoga positions. The artist explains, “Mirage focuses on the concept of peripersonal space, the space that your body encompasses at its most extended point in every direction, which describes the body’s potential boundary.”

The sculpture by Katie Grinnan is a celebration of the human body and its endless spiritual and physical potential.

Mirage, focuses on the experiential nature of the body and is formed from casting Grinnan’s own body moving through the different positions of a portion of her yoga routine. The resulting form is both an approximation of motion and a solid thing, a singular figure and many. Mirage focuses on the concept of peripersonal space, the space that your body encompasses at its most extended point in every direction, which describes the body’s potential boundary. Although one might consider the artist, Étienne-Jules Marey as a reference point for Mirage, the Hindu sculptures from South India, where different gods are portrayed with multiple limbs are of equal importance. Both references reflect Grinnan’s interest in the expansion and compression of time and “everyday superposition.”