╳ Carved Tyres

╳ Taking the concept of eco-friendly in another direction, it’s hard to believe that each one of these used car tyres is hand-carved. Talented and multi-faceted, Belgian artist and decorator, Wim Delvoye has created a collection of amazing decorative tyres titled ‘Pneu’. Delvoye’s own personal way of describing his artwork in an ironic fashion is ‘glocal’ referring to a combination between ‘local’ and ‘global’. The tyres feature intricate pattern work with various motifs such as florals and Art Deco and Mr Delvoye does an incredible job working with the original shape of each tyre when designing individual patterns.

╳ Born 1965, West Flanders, Mr Delvoye is a neo-conceptual artist known for his inventive and often shocking projects. Much of his work is focused on the body. He repeatedly links the attractive with the repulsive, creating work that holds within it inherent contradictions— and it has been said that “one does not know whether to stare, be seduced, or to look away.” He has developed an art that offers a reinterpretation of artworks of the past while laying down a lucid and amused glance at contemporary society. He explores art history, Gothic cathedrals and sculptures of the 19th century, from Bosch and Brueghel to Warhol, simultaneously revealing the beauty of daily objects such as his 2007 car tyre pieces.

╳ In the words of Robert Enright, from Border Crossings magazine, he characterises the artist: "Delvoye is involved in a way of making art that reorients our understanding of how beauty can be created." Wim Delvoye has an eclectic oeuvre, exposing his interest in a range of themes, from bodily function, to the Catholic Church, and numerous subjects in between.”

╳ Images (top to bottom)

Untitled (Car Tyre) 2009

Untitled (Car Tyres) 2007
MONA, Hobart (Tasmania)

╳ To learn more about Wim Delvoye’s work, please follow this link.