Unusual Art and Technology Symbiosis: Skull-ptures by Hedi Xandt

Now that Halloween is closing in, it’s the perfect time to take into consideration some intriguing designs that showcase macabre inspiration. German-born Norwegian artist Hedi Xandt imagined four interesting sculptures representing the image of a human skull in one shape or another. Using different materials to shape the images in his mind, the artist came up with a series of sculptures that combine the appearance of naturally shaped bone with modern and experimental production technologies and techniques.

“I believe in diversity.”

This artist statement presents a childhood spent in “a family composed of painters, illustrators, draughtsmen and writers as well as skilled craftsmen.” Seen in each piece, this curiosity led to the creation of these filigree sculptures depicting the human skull in different variations.



“My Die-Cast Soul” is part one of the skull-ptures series, showcasing an expression captured by a mold via explosion. This thin metal layer was later galvanized and plated with 24k gold, then placed on slim tubes on a custom-made marble platform.

“The God Of The Grove” is a gold-plated brass, polymer, and marble sculpture with a distressed black finish. The third part in the series is named “The Longer You Last” – a gold-plated 18th century skull pinned in nails, supported by a custom-made black-red perspex fixture. The last one – Apollo Rey – is cast in all-gold and marble, combining the precious metal with the beloved stone.

I’m sure you already have a favorite – which one is it?