Sam Jinks

Produced with clay casts and poured silicone, Sam Jinks’ hyperrealist figures achieve an almost uncanny naturalism. Upon close inspection however, they are damaged or distorted in some way. In the case of Hanging man, 2005, the scale of the figure has been reduced to about two-thirds human size, rendering the figure non-threatening and profoundly sympathetic. Jinks draws on our collective fascination with the human figure and art-historical tradition of figurative sculpture, while directly engaging the viewer through the vulnerability and verisimilitude of the figure.

Jinks’ understanding of human anatomy, attention to detail and technical virtuosity enables him to accurately create detail down to hair stubble and skin pores and blemishes. This anatomic correctness contributes to the delicate figure’s intimate connection with the viewer. In this way, Jinks plays with pathos and empathy, while exploring phases of life and transience of existence, and the anxious fragility of the human condition.