Gwen Murphy ~ Shoe Sculptures

Gwen Murphy, American sculptor, is a brilliant artist who breathes new life into old shoes, by transforming them from fashion accessories into intriguing works of art. Ever since she was a little girl, Gwen liked to look at shoes and found that they were staring back at her, each pair with its own character and personality. Depending on model and how worn out they were, some shoes sometimes looked sleepy, other times grouchy or fierce, some even looked like they were singing.

Young Gwen perceived them as a species of beings made entirely from pairs of identical twins, and the fascination with shoes stayed with her all the way through adulthood. Now, she collects pairs of worn out shoes and tries to bring out their personality, by literally giving them a face. She makes use of ash clay and acrylic paint to create bugged-out eyes, long faces and pouting lips, and gives each pair a unique face that expresses its unique character. Indian slippers have an exotic look, wooden shoes look blissful and primitive, while high heel shoes have somewhat of an arrogant look.

Gwen Murphy è una artista Americana che crea una nuova vita per le vecchie calzature, trasformandole da accessori di moda in intriganti opere d'arte. 

"Fin da quando ero una bambina molto piccola - racconta la Murhpy -, guardavo le scarpe e trovavo che anche loro stessero guardando me, ognuna con una sua personalità e con una particolare espressione. Vedevo visi con bocche spalancate, a volte assonnati, brontoloni o feroci". 

Dal 2005 Gwen ha creato circa 100 paia di scarpe-scultura, utilizzando solo calzature di seconda mano o trovate in strada e completando i particolari dei volto con creta e colori acrilici: musi lunghi, labbra imbronciate, le pantofole indiane hanno un aspetto esotico, gli zoccoli in legno uno sguardo beato e primitivo, le scarpe con il tacco alto uno sguardo un po' arrogante. Le opere di Gwen sono una sorta di feticcio e hanno, a quanto pare, il potere di proteggere dalla malasorte chi le acquista.