Fragile and Forceful: Bat-Showgirls of the Australian Sculptor John Morris

If you love stylish sculptures, then the sexy bat-girls of John Morris (b. 1963) will definitely attract your attention, no matter, whether you're a fan of the Batman comic series or know it merely as a part of modern pop culture.

Fig. 1. “The usual suspects ready for wings. Part of the 'Winged' edition of 30”. Cast Polyurethane, hand-painted (instagram.com)

Fig. 2.Winged, 59cm by 28.5cm by 6.5cm (lethbridgegallery.com)

Fig. 3. Evenfall. Timber, paint. 37cm by 36.5cm by 10cm (lethbridgegallery.com)

Fig. 4. Queen of the Night. Wood, metal, paint (lethbridgegallery.com)

Fig. 5. instagram.com

Fig. 6. Showtime!! Wood, metal, paint. Size: 79cm by 46.5 by 10cm (lethbridgegallery.com)

Fig. 7. instagram.com

Fig. 8. 3d work (instagram.com)

From Soft to Solid

There is not much info on Morris on the web. He's known to have been born in England and moved to Australia with his family at three years old. In 1983, in his twenties, Morris graduated from the Queensland College of Graphic Design with a Diploma of Arts and started working as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. In the 1980s, the artist approached sculpture and worked with polyester resin and wax. In 1990, his first sculpture made of bronze appeared. Six years later, Morris started using wood as a material for his creations. Nowadays, he crafts stylish wooden dolls and surreal assemblages of wood, metal, and other materials. Each work is preceded by lots of sketches. Besides sculpting, Morris produces digital images of sexy Easter Rabbits and steam-punk beauties with mechanical wings.

Fig. 9. Easter Rabbit, digital image (instagram.com)

Fig. 10. MMXX. Digital image (instagram.com)

Fig. 11. Aviatrix, 3d image (instagram.com)

Fig. 12. Breeze. Wood, paint. Size: 59.4cm by 34.6cmcm by 8.1cm (lethbridgegallery.com)

Fig. 13. Aviatrix, 2014. Timber, paint, metal. Size: 22cm by 14.5cm (lethbridgegallery.com)

Bellmer and Legs of Cellos

The stylized tall figures with wide hips easily evoke associations with surrealism and its symbolic nature. Some girls, like that in Destabilizing Influence, recall the early version of Bellmer's Puppe, which was an assemblage of separate parts (one of her legs looks prosthetic). The elongated legs of other figures are similar to stilts due to the absence of feet. They may have their distant prototypes in the famous elephants of Dali. The wooden bodies and thin lower limbs look very close to that of the feminine cellos by the Romanian surrealist Adrian Borda, whose works we examined in one of our previous articles.

Fig. 14. Left: John Morris, Destabilizing Influence, Wood, metal, paint. Size: 68cm by 19.5cm by 13cm (lethbridgegallery.com); Center: Hans Bellmer with his doll, 1934; right: Adrian Borda Life is a Dance in The Rain V (instagram.com) 

In Premium more on Morris' style, Art Deco influences, the appearance of his creatures,  the girls butterfly wings, and countless additional pics.

Click HERE for the surreal serenades of Romanian artist Adrian Borda

Morris is active on Instagram

Sources: johnmorris.awardspace.info; lethbridgegallery.com; instagram.com/johnmorrissculptor/; Wikipedia.org

What do you think about John Morris' super-accentuated sculptures? Leave your reaction in the comment box below...!!