Skeletonizer

 

 

“Measuring Up” We ran into this guy on the subway lugging a two-foot tall, anatomically perfect skeleton holding a plumb line up to a smaller skeleton on a pedestal. Naturally, we had to have a word. A few days later we were standing in Paul Oestreicher’s studio surrounded by cracked skulls, jagged limbs, deconstructed animals, and medieval-looking apparatus, coming to terms with the fact that one of the best artists in New York is a middle-aged guy who sculpts life-size grandchildren for old ladies in Texas. It doesn’t even feel fair to call him an artist—artists are spoiled rich kids who spend more time worrying about their image and who they’re partying with than making things worth looking at. He’s more like a creative artisan, or an artsy craftsman, or how about just a really good fucking sculptor? I mean, look at that fucking thing!

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Photo by Ben Ritter Vice: Why is there a flayed, naked schoolboy sitting in the middle of the room?

Paul Oestreicher:
écorché Do you have any formal training in sculpture? What about this massive alligator you’ve got in the middle of the room here? Did you do some field research to get it looking so scary and real? Do you feel a direct link to the tradition of figurative sculpture? This is what Paul’s been up to since we last spoke. It’s called “Midnight Ride”. Here are few more things we found sitting around Paul’s space. Enjoy!