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Shockingly Satirical Porcelain Sculptures

By Pinar Noorata on December 13, 2011

It's Murder on the Dance Floor

Not all ballerinas are prim and proper, especially the ones depicted by artist Penny Byrne. The Australia-based artist alters the elegance that porcelain figurines customarily portray and replaces that formality with satire and a sprinkle of whimsy. She takes old, weathered ceramic figurines and, through vigorous manipulation, reworks the structures' appearance and meaning.

Byrne, who is educated in fine arts and human rights law, uses her reconstructed figurines to touch on political and often controversial subjects including civil rights, global warming, and war. Her art is her campaign for social and environmental change or, at the very least, awareness. As serious as she is about the separate causes, there is still a hint of humor in her work. Each piece is accompanied by a whimsical title that is often littered with puns.

If you're interested in seeing some politically infused sculptures by the artist, a varied collection of Byrne's artwork is currently part of the SSFA End of Year 2011 exhibit at Sullivan+Strumpf until December 23, 2011.