Hyperrealistic Sculptures of Everyday Objects

Robin Antar is a Brooklyn artist who creates oversized replicas of American staples out of stone. Despite being made out of marble and other inedible materials, her statues looks good enough to eat! Antar's creations are currently being displayed at The Waterfall Gallery & Mansion in NYC, June 12 through August 31, 2014. 

"My passion for sculpting is expressed in my creation of the virtual records of contemporary culture," Antar said in a press release. "I capture everyday objects in carved stone, using a technique I invented more than 20 years ago."

Antar starts with a similar color of stone or simply dyes it herself. Due to being blind in one eye, she keeps the model close at hand instead of using a photo. She then spends countless hours carving, chiseling, sanding, and mounting to create huge replicas of food and clothing. For some pieces, she adds other materials like string to add to the effect. The result is a plethora of realistic statues that make you look twice before you realize they're made of stone (and huge!).

Antar wasn't always interested in pop art. Although she has been sculpting since high school, her work was largely abstract. It wasn't until she helped a student finish their project that she became intrigued with realism. She was commissioned to create a Nike shoe and then eventually carved an entire set of footwear.

After 9/11, Antar wanted to celebrate American culture and decided on the most American thing she could think of: junk food. The artist went on to create a whole collection of condiments, cookies, and candy. She also created other American symbols like a jean jacket and boxing gloves. 

"I’ve achieved my goal when the U.S. government writes to tell me I cannot copyright a work of art because it too closely resembles the product that I chose to record in stone," she wrote. "The day I received that letter was one of the happiest days of my life."