Curious, Compelling, And Captivating Sculptures That Feel Alive

By Anni K

An interesting or beautiful piece of art is something that simply cannot be ignored. Whether it’s a painting or a statue, there are certain pieces that just make us stop and look. Public sculptures, for example, bring so much joy to tourists and give a reason for locals to smile. Some are literally built to be interacted with, often making them a must-see on any tourism brochure. Then there are others that are designed to reach the viewers’ hearts and minds.

No matter the intention, artists always strive to create something memorable that will live on for years or decades to come. To honor and show our appreciation for some of those brilliant minds, we’ve put together a list of some of the most interesting and downright stunning sculptures found around the globe. Have you visited any of these yourself? Were they as awe-inspiring in person?

Living Inside Art

It’s cool enough to interact with art by touching its hand, but to go inside is on a whole different level. This 16th-century sculpture standing at 35 feet tall is located in Florence, Italy, and has a few rooms inside for visitors to explore. 

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The piece is called Gigante dell’Appennino and was created in the late 1500s by the artist, Giambologna. It looks like a giant heroic mountain god is placed there protecting the surrounding villages. If you ever get the chance to see this giant in person, seize the day and go visit him. 

Mother Nature Fights Back

The Force of Nature by Lorenzo Quinn is a sculpture with a serious message, and it’s executed with style and grace. The coasts of Thailand, where the sculpture is set up, frequently face natural disasters, such as hurricanes. These storms are devastating to the people that live there.

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In ancient times, humans didn’t know that these house-leveling storms were acts of Mother Nature. The artist shared that he drew inspiration from those old cultures that used statues to appease the deities who were believed to have dominion over the storms.

Always Raining

This sculpture, Rain, is by a Ukrainian artist, Nazar Bilyk. To simulate the image of a giant raindrop on a man’s face, the artist molded glass to sit atop the bronze statue. The sculpture is one of ten in a series found in Peysazhna Alley (Landscape Alley) at Kiev Fashion Park.

Nazar Bilyk

The interpretation is up to you, but the artist says it’s about a man and his inner dialogue, with the glass raindrop resembling that dialogue and how it connects him with a whole diversity of other life forms. We simply love the simplicity of this complicated subject expressed the way it is. 

Love 

Artist Alexander Milov made this sculpture titled Love, and we couldn’t think of a better name for it. The purest form of love is that of an innocent child, unaware of anything else other than those whom they love and the things they enjoy. 

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You can see two illuminated children caged in the bodies of adults, who may appear sad, disappointed, or even angry at each other. Yet, deep down, as symbolized by the children, there is an innocent and basic sense of love between the two grown-ups. How stunning!

Working in Dimensions

We absolutely love it when sculptures look like they’re below the surface, coming up in a slow, deliberate way. The Caring Hand in Switzerland is a perfect example of that, as it looks like this is a massive sculpture peeking up from underground.

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It’s not a giant hand holding a tree, but in fact, the innovative artist simply placed a few separate pieces of stone around the tree to trick your eyes into believing it extends underground. A very clever sculpture with a beautiful gesture and message about caring for nature.

Sculpture Overboard

This bronze sculpture is a great work of art and is filled with irony and contradiction. Let’s explain. Bronze is a heavy material that will not easily get pulled out of the water, yet the figure seems to be able to escape the force of gravity. 

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Then, if you look closer you’ll see there is no figure, which might explain the weightlessness this sculpture has. Still, the silhouette of the figure remains, and you can even see its hands and feet passing through solid surfaces. We’re in love with this piece. 

Man from Nature

What do you see first in this picture — the trees bending slightly in the wind or a face of a man colored in by the sunset in the background? Art is meant to be interpreted by the viewer, but some pieces, like this one, are constructed with only two variations.

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Although, unless you’re standing at a specific spot, you won’t see the face of the man, and probably just a glimpse of the trees. It’s a sculpture that forces you to stop and move to a specific angle in order to appreciate it properly.

Freedom

The artist behind this amazing piece is Zenos Frudakis. When creating this piece, they pulled from their own experiences of what it feels like to be a captive by your own feelings, and how freeing it feels to break those bonds. 

Zenos Frudakis

Depending on how you look at it, it could be the heartbreaking story of only one man escaping, or it could simply be snapshots of the same man’s journey. This is a lesson we hear often, don’t try to fit in; stand out!

Wild Wild Horses

Even when it is silent and calm in Irving, Texas, you can’t help but feel alive when you pass by these sculptures of horses running through water. One can’t help but wonder where they are going, and that’s the point Robert Glen was trying to convey.

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The piece is called Mustangs, and the fountain they are running through is designed to help with the movement the artist wanted to portray in the piece. By having smaller water bursts close to the horse’s feet, it makes it seem like they’re actually splashing through the water as they run.

Here He Is! 

Popped Up is the name of this gigantic sculpture and it is located at Széchenyi Square in Budapest, Hungary. It interacts with its surroundings by making it look like a giant is escaping the perfectly mowed lawn and ready to fight.

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Was this giant rudely awoken from a cozy nap, or is he simply itching to get some fresh air? Either way, we hope the gardeners have some serious guts and tools to mow that uneven lawn the giant has created.

Stairway to Heaven

We love optical illusion sculptures. While 2D optical illusions are cool, there’s something about the 3D nature of the piece that really forces you to think. Aside from the dizzying nature of them, we can’t help but wonder just how the sculpture was created.

My Modern Met

They say the way to heaven is a long set of stairs, which is what this Australian artist made it seem like, without actually building a never-ending staircase. We wonder if fans of Led Zeppelin come here often so they can play his iconic hit as they enjoy the art.

Together

Jason de Caires Taylor in Grenada, West Indies made this heart-wrenching sculpture called Vicissitudes and placed it where many enslaved people died on their way from Africa to America. It is a massive piece depicting the enslaved captives holding hands. 

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Because the only people they could trust were each other, he made sure to construct them all holding hads, as if to say they’re “stronger together.” It is also fitting that their strength and unity are enough to weather the ocean’s fierce currents.

Blown Away

We’re blown away by this piece of beautiful art — it’s certainly much better than our puns. It must have been difficult for the artist to create the sensation of movement in the dandelion the giant fairy is holding. This artist has some incredible talent. 

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Robin Wight, a UK-based artist, is the brilliant mind behind this masterpiece. The sculpture is made from a variety of metals, and the intricate details such as the hair of the fairy blowing in the wind are very well executed. 

Vandalism Wins

The Sower in Kaunas, Lithuania might not seem striking during the day, but at night when the shadow of the sculpture hits the wall behind it in just the right way, you see the man sowing some stars. It seems truly magical.

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But, apparently, the stars were not part of the artist’s design. That credit goes to a local vandal. While we don’t ever encourage vandalism of public property, we can’t help but admire the creative upgrade someone gave to this statue.

Sinking Knowledge

Depending on your generation, educational background, and even your opinion of smartphones, this statue could hold a whole different meaning. Some would say that libraries are defunct because of the internet, but we wholeheartedly disagree. We think they’re more important than ever!

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The reason this library is sinking is left entirely up to the viewer. Is it because people don’t read books anymore? Or is it because of the weight of power held within a single building? Or, perhaps Wan Shi Tong finally reclaimed his library.

Onwards

To make a 1320-ton statue seem like it is flowing in the wind is a task on its own. The artist of this piece did a tremendous job of making this sculpture seem like it’s moving. And indeed it was moving, both literally and figuratively.

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Erected in 2016, the statue of Guan Yu is stunning but wasn’t well executed. For starters, the land was beginning to skin under its weight. For a variety of reasons, including permits and regulations, the statue was moved to a nearby location.

What Protects You, Destroys You

You can simply look at this sculpture and admire it for its beauty, or you can spend hours interpreting it and finding the hidden lesson and meaning behind it. To us, as so many others, it looks like a man holding an umbrella. 

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But of course, the man is not holding an umbrella, merely a fountain of water. It’s only from a distance that the arcing water looks like an umbrella. That’s the irony in this sculpture — what seems to be protecting the man from the rain….is actually the rain!

Hungry Hungry Hippos

We hate to break it to you, but real hippos are nothing like the children’s game. Sort of. They’re indeed very hungry, but they’re not as calm as the plastic toy. And they’re certainly not as cute, especially if you get on their bad side.

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Sure, they won’t bother you unless you bother them, but did you know hippos are one of the most dangerous animals and they can easily outrun you? Yeah, this interaction with hippos is going to be your safest bet since you can be sure no statue has ever outrun a human or eaten one for lunch. 

Missing Pieces

When we depart from our loved ones for a long time, be it weeks or months, it feels like there’s a piece of us missing. It’s only when we return home that we find a piece of our heart left within them, and it’s only when we’re reunited that we feel whole.

Bruno Catalano

We can’t even imagine how early immigrants felt. We don’t appreciate just how fortunate we are to have technology that allows us to stay in touch with our homes and our hearts. We also appreciate the artist’s skill; he made the sculpture seem like two unconnected pieces.

Heavy Burden

Destroying Mother Nature is the worst thing any species can do. We owe our lives to her and should only take what we need and give back to keep the ecosystem healthy and flowing. Sadly, this isn’t the case, and one artist took that heavy emotion and materialized it.

Underwater Sculpture

This statue is made from special materials; it allows coral to attach itself to it, possibly assisting in reviving the local ecosystem. Now when you look at the sculpture itself, you’ll see a child, our future generation, carrying the weight of the ocean on her shoulders. Powerful. 

Kelpies

These aren’t mere, albeit massive, horses, but kelpies. Kelpies are shapeshifting water spirits of lochs, rivers, and other bodies of water. They are said to be powerful, horse-like creatures, often black in color, that are also able to take human form.

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Now, Andy Scott was commissioned to make these mythical water creatures the canal link between the Forth & Clyde Canal and the River Carron — a fitting site for the artwork. Maybe they were placed there to protect the waterways, or maybe that’s where they’re most powerful. 

Fish out of Water

Portland, Oregon is the home of this fishy sculpture, by Keith Jellum. Transcendence, the title of the sculpture, is placed on the corner of two streets, one of which is called Salmon Street. Of course, it has a bigger meaning than just indicating a street name. 

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The 11-meter-long sculpture neatly smashing its way through a brick wall has been placed there to indicate the seafood shop just below it. Portland is known to have rich waters that boast sealife, so this is a tribute to the local ecosystem that feeds its people. 

Tree Huggers

We all know what “tree huggers” mean. It refers to people who love nature and are willing for fight for its conservation. In an effort to demonstrate just how much effort and care these nature lovers show toward Mother Earth, Jaume Plensa built these statues.

Jaume Plensa

We hope that these sculptures inspired even a few people to care for the Earth and show her the respect and reverence she deserves. Our mind is racing with references, from The Lorax to the Pequeninos from Speaker for the Dead.

Nope

All art is beautiful; you just need to find the right person to appreciate it. We love the giant arachnid, but we know there are many people who take one look and feel like they were teleported into a horror movie.

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Unfortunately for anyone with arachnophobia, this statue moves! No, it’s not a robot; it was moved by human hands, and likely some heavy machinery. It’s been relocated all over the world, and multiple versions have been made so that people everywhere can enjoy it.

Always Shining 

Do you ever feel broken, and like your internal light isn’t shining bright enough to make a difference in the world? That might be one of the things you will interpret when looking at this beautiful sculpture from NYC-based artist, Paige Bradley.

Paige Bradley

Bradley shows a broken person meditating whilst there is still light inside, shining through the cracks, meaning you can be useful and worthy even if you are a little broken. Regroup and remind yourself of that daily, just like this incredible sculpture does to its viewers.  

Piggy Went to The Market

Remember that old nursery rhyme about little piggies that usually included counting fingers or toes? There was always “this piggy went to the market,” though, we hate to break it to you, but that didn’t mean it went out shopping or took a stroll.

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A Day Out, the title of the sculpture in the picture, is more wholesome than the rhyme. These statues depict what a child thinks of, rather than the truth that the piggy probably ended up becoming bacon at breakfast the following morning.

Rising Tide

Jason DeCaires Taylor is the artist behind these statement sculptures. You might think they’re horses trotting in the water, just like Mustangs from earlier, but they’re actually a mixture of oil rigs and horses. As the tide rises, you see the men on the horses slowly getting submerged underwater. 

Jason deCaries Taylor

This is to raise awareness about the negative impacts humans have had on the environment. Just like us, these sculptures interact with the water around them and tell us a convincing tale of the future if we don’t change our awful ways.

Onwards

If you saw a herd of cattle stomping through a field, you’d probably expect to cover your ears from the loud noises, or even worry about getting splashed as they walk through a puddle. But you’ll be met with silence and a dry backpack if you see these bronze sculptures in Dallas, Texas.

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The sculptures are larger than life but quietly rest in place for you to enjoy. The attention to detail is exquisite; the artist even included one bull stopping for a drink before joining the trek onward. We still don’t recommend petting these; the metal is likely quite hot.

Misty and Mysterious

We have to admit, this is probably the best weather to take a picture of these moody and artistic human-esque sculptures. The weather itself being moody complements the mysterious and eerie feelings surrounding these sculptures. And those faces looking down at us feels pretty ominous.

Pauline Ohrel

The figures are ghastly in form, but the actual materials are very sturdy and strong, which is a cool contradiction. Another thing to note is that it almost looks like these figures are feather-light and floating in the wind, but they’re heavy enough to withstand a strong gale.

Watch Out!

Do you remember the comedy-action film Sharknado? The movie is about a tornado throwing sharks around in its wake, and it looks like this sculpture was a result of a sharknado, since it depicts a massive shark crashing-landing in someone’s home.

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The execution is quite well done, but the homeowner who installed it initially had a lot of backlash from the city council. But the good news is that, 36 years later, they finally made it a heritage site. How cool!

Heavy Baggage

Unknown Bureaucrat, was created Magnus Thomasson in 1994. It shows a perfectly carved man, but only from the lower half of their body. What do you think the meaning could be here? We think there are a few interpretations to discover.

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First off, it might depict the large weight of stress the man is experiencing. Or it could be that the top half of the body, usually the most recognized part, simply isn’t any different than anyone else in the same field, just blending into nothing.

Cops and Robbers

De Vaartkapoen, the name of this sculpture in Brussels, Belgium, literally means “channel rascal.” It depicts a sneaky robber peeking up from a sewer and trying to slow a policeman down by tripping them so their friends can get away from the law.

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We don’t encourage trying to break the law, nor trip an officer, but this statue was placed as a humorous reminder to the old days where the local workers were standing up against the government and the law, sometimes by any means necessary.

River of Life

There’s a reason why there are so many large cities near bodies of water. Water has always been a source of life, and before modern technology, people didn’t have easy access to water if they lived far away from a river, lake, etc.

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This statue is a playful tribute to the river and its early settlements, showing children innocently playing in the water that gave them life. We are so spoiled today with having water in an instant, simply by turning on a tap.

Long Walk

Sometimes it’s not only the sculpture itself that has meaning but its placement, too. This is the case for The Nelson Mandela Sculpture by Marco Cianfanelli in South Africa. The very spot the sculpture is placed, is where a significant historical person was captured by police. 

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South Africa is known for its brief period of apartheid, and Nelson Mandela, who this sculpture represents, was a key figure and a symbol of freedom and hope. Nelson was captured at this spot by police and jailed. It’s fitting that the sculpture is made from bars, much like jailbars. 

Bright Future

No, this sculpture doesn’t pay its respect to all the bald men of this world, but rather repicts the millions of small changes you go through in life that contribute to who you are as a person. That’s what the small ridges and bumps in this sculpture represent.

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It also literally reflects its surroundings, which are a massive factor in who you are as a person. If you surround yourself with bright and merry people, you will likely give off the same ideas and vibes. But if you surround yourself with darkness, well, that’ll show too. 

Paper

It takes a lot of work to make a masterpiece. We’ve seen dozens already and still can’t fathom how they were made. It takes a keen eye to add realistic detail to a hunk of bronze. Yet it takes a whole different skill set to make something look 2D.

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In 1994, artist Neil Dawson constructed a sculpture he called Horizons. This is yet another piece that probably requires viewers to stand in just the right spot to fully appreciate the nature of his work. Our brains are still spinning at the 2D depiction via 3D metal.

He’s Awake

How do you wake up in the morning? Are you the type of person who can spring out of bed at the first ring of your alarm clock? Or do you crawl over to switch off the blaring alarm for the fifth time?

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We think we know what category the man in The Awakening falls into. This massive 72-foot structure resides outside of DC. Since it’s in an area with a varied climate, the statue looks different depending on what time of year you visit it.

Just Chilling

Have you ever seen an iguana in person? That is the same animal that you see here in this set of sculptures in the Netherlands. Notice anything else? That’s right, they also sit eerily still, just watching you pass by.

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Iguanas are cold blooded creatures which means they have to sit and bake in the sun to raise their body temperatures and only move when they absolutely have to, like when they’re catching some prey for dinner. Which one of these park tourists will be its lunch?

Shhhh…

The Awakening showed a giant struggling to get out of bed in the morning, but the Mud Maid, located in the Lost Garden of Heligan, is in a more gentle slumber. There is one thing these two giants have in common…

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Both change their looks to match the season. The Mud Maid is draped in elegant moss in the summer, but has a snowy white dress come winter. Nature is beautiful, and pieces like this truly show just how true that is.

Peek-A-Boo

The Lost Garden of Heligan isn’t home to one giant, but in fact, there are two gargantuan creatures that reside there. Alongside the Mud Maid is her trusty friend, The Giant’s Head. Though he’s less elegant than she is, he’s still a sight to behold.

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The nose and tuft of hair already give him a face, but the stones with irises leave nothing to the imagination. We can’t imagine how scared tourists must be if they didn’t know these statues are hiding in the woods.

Bag Lady

Gender stereotypes are problematic and often untrue, but there is some truth in a few of them. Women’s bags, for example, always seem to be bottomless sacs like Mary Poppin’s luggage. To honor that magic, someone constructed this statue in Piemonte, Italy.

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There are many theories as to why women have bottomless bags, almost as if they are able to carry around the TARDIS on their shoulders. Perhaps it’s the lack of pockets. Men get to carry their keys, wallets, phones, and more, all in a single pair of pants!

Tap

Sadly, we’re nearing the end of our list. We’ve seen so many fascinating structures from all over the world, some meaningful and others downright perplexing. And now, we have another one in the latter category. It’s not a mystery as to how this was built…

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…but the optical illusion is a sight to behold. It’s simple yet stunning, and you might even have come across an iteration of this statue in your travels. The flowing water conceals the pipe holding up the tap, giving it the illusion of a floating spout.

Paparazzi

As much as we all want to be as famous as celebrities, that fame comes at a cost. For one, you’re always plagued by paparazzi, hungry to grab that one moment when you’re not perfect and graceful. And there’s truly no escaping them!

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We all hate the feeling of being watched, and perhaps that’s what this sculpture is meant to convey. Anyone walking by might suddenly feel something creeping over their shoulder, sending chills up their spine. We bet this is even creepier if the street is empty.

Screaming

We all know the rhyme about screaming for ice cream, but can you imagine the cries of frustration from children when the ice cream truck doesn’t come at it’s promised time? And why is that? Did the engine need repairs? Were they out of popsicles?

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Or, in the case of this ice cream truck, was it so hot that even the well-refrigerated automobile couldn’t handle the heat? This playfully interactive sculpture can be found in Sydney, Australia. There’s even a hollow space inside for kids to take shelter from the sun.

Hard Work 

Working a literal dirty job like cleaning sewers is a lot more difficult than you might think, you’re doing the job very few other people will be willing to do, and you rarely get thanked for it. So, this smiling sculpture confuses most people. 

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How can you be happy when you’re doing such an awful job? Well, for this sculpture, he is merely taking a break and smiling at the people he is serving. He’s also slightly hidden which is a symbol of how hidden some people are behind the scenes. Next time you see someone do a dirty job, thank them.