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'Hyperrealistic,' Life-Size Sculptures of Swimmers on Display in FiDi

By Irene Plagianos | February 27, 2017 5:37pm
 Carole Feuerman's
Carole Feuerman's "hyperrealistic" sculptures are on display at 55 Broadway through March 23.
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Carole Feuerman

FINANCIAL DISTRICT — These sculptures of swimmers look so real you can almost smell the chlorine on their skin.

New York artist Carole Feuerman breathes life into dozens of her sculptures, mostly of female swimmers, by detailing the intricacies of the human form, down to their "imperfect nail beds, wrinkled feet and tanned skin," organizers of her new exhibit said in a statement.

Feuerman, who has a studio in Chelsea, crafted 28 of these sculptures from resin, bronze, paint and laquer, which are all now on display in a pop-up exhibit called "Perception" at 55 Broadway.

The exhibition — including Feuerman's sculptures, painting and prints — was organized with Chashama, a nonprofit arts group that supports artists by partnering with property owners to activate unused real estate into spaces for artists to work and present their work.

Feuerman has been creating her renowned life-like sculptures, sometimes made from body–casting actual swimmers, since the 1970s.

It's that "hyperrealism" — making an inanimate object seem uncannily alive — that "shifts one's reality" and "enables nuanced explorations of human emotions and psychology," organizers said.

In an interview last year (seen in the video below), Feuerman said her works emphasizes "women as powerful and strong."  The female forms often appear floating, with their eyes closed, drawing attention to the need to "think, meditate about our life and appreciate the moment," she said.

The show will also include the launch of Feuerman's retail collection — a selection of prints, scarves, T-shirts and small sculptures of her hyperrealist art, priced from $15 to $80.

"Perception" at 55 Broadway is open Monday through Friday from 12 to 6 p.m., through March 23.