Stone Goes Soft in These Mind-Bending SculptureS

José Manuel Castro López's artworks seem to defy physical properties.

Stone-cold is probably the worst metaphor to describe the work of Galician sculptor José Manuel Castro López. His soft stone sculptures are dripping and dynamic, transcending the usual notions of tactility and rigidity. The forms look as though they’re made of sponge, clay, or even skin, but really he uses hard materials like quartz and granite to play tricks on the viewer. He makes one question the laws of nature. With simple pinches, swirls, and gaps, he breathes life into the hard, previously unforgiving stone.

According to the artist, stone and its properties are often mythologized in Galician culture. Inspired by this, he finds that his work is more impacted by magic than technique: “It is not the sculptor who acts, but the wizard, the druid,” he tells The Creators Project, “My relationship with the stone is not physical, but magical. It recognizes me, it obeys me…we understand each other. My stones are not lifeless. They manifest themselves.”