Texas-based visual artist Gil Bruvel’s series “Bending the Lines” consists of hundreds of pixilated wooden sculptures of human faces. Each face comes with a similar meditative expression, but despite this, they are strangely captivating.
The reason why Bruvel’s works have such a powerful effect is probably because of the way they are constructed. When the viewer looks at the sculpture for the first time, they recognize a familiar shape of a human face. But as soon as they come closer to inspect, they are met with thousands of sticks that actually form the piece, and the image disappears.
The serene and peaceful look on the faces of the sculptures also plays a big part in making them captivating. Bruvel chose this look because of his own devotion to meditation, which he has been practicing for decades.
“I’ve been using that as an inspiration for my work, and it’s a little bit literal because it’s a peaceful, serene face, but also it’s a huge neural pathway for our own identity, how we work our way as a human condition, what are we as human beings,” he explained in a recent chat with PBS.
“Bending the Lines” has been a resounding success for Bruvel, prompting him to dedicate most of his creative effort to making his pixilated sculptures. Most of them are found in art galleries or private collections, but you can see them also on the artist’s Instagram or by scrolling below.
