3D Printing Modern Art

Artists create their working models of artwork before building the final piece. 3D printing in the arts allows them to see how their artwork is going to look even before they begin to work on the final version. It also allows artists to solve problems and to see any aesthetic changes prior to production. 

All artists, especially the modern ones, are trying to convey something with their art, be it a political statement or developing a scene.

With the benefits of 3D printing in arts, artists can make sure their message is going to come across precisely as they want. 

 

Different stories of 3D printing in the arts

3D technology has seen steady growth for the past several years. Major art museums’ acceptance of the art-meets-science medium has contributed to this. 

This proves how no corner of the art world remains untouched by 3D printing, from architecture to dance to painting to music.

3D printing technology is so disruptive because it has the potential to change the way we create. With this in mind, here are 5 artists who made use of the technology:

1. Tomoko Nagao

Tomoko Nagao is a Japanese artist who is known for her reinterpretation of Renaissance masterpieces. 

In 2017, she wandered away from her usual oil and stencils on walls and canvases. Nagao traveled back in time to create two micro-pop sculptures with a large 3D printer. 

Her Salome exhibit, 3D printed by Sisma Italia, put a funny spin on a biblical story. This served as a bridge to an ancient event with modern technology.

2. Neri Oxman

Neri Oxman is known to be an architect, designer, internationally recognized artist, and a professor at the MIT Media Lab. 

Neri’s PhD aimed to push the limits of additive manufacturing using materials like concrete and glass. Furthermore, he in fact developed the machines to print them.

3. Rob and Nick Carter

Rob and Nick Carter went back in time, too, similar to Nakao’s art. 

Instead of biblical art, the two took a 400-year-old painting and recreated the scene outdoors. With the help of 3D printing, they duplicated nine tree trunks. They then bronzed each piece before placing them in an open field. 

The real-life work is titled Bronze Oak Grove.

4. Batsheba Grossman

Grossman used her mathematics background to create metal artworks. Through 3D printing, she was able to produce shapes she envisioned. This is an impossible venture to achieve without the technology. 

According to Grossman, “If you show these to somebody who works in metal, they fall on the floor.”

5. Julian Voss-Andreae

Julian Voss-Andreae lives in Portland, Oregon. He is known to have created some larger-than-life monuments at outdoor locations. 

3D printing technology frees him to create whimsical designs. His most known art forms are large format human figures that sometimes become invisible at different angles.

Bonus: From visual to the faculty of hearing

3D printing isn’t just for the visual art world. Another extension of art, music, has its own fair share in 3D printing art appreciation. 

6. Gilles Azzaro

Gilles Azzaro is a French artist who created pieces that sought to capture sound and make it permanent. 

Azzaro does this by plucking recordings of sound waves and then prints them out.

An example of this is a newborn baby’s cries. Or even Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address to be memorialized in a physical format. 

3D printing in music has also helped make instruments and tools more accessible to musicians.

 

Pushing the boundaries of creativity

It is fitting to see artists beginning to take note and leverage the unique 3D technology qualities to create 3D art. The freedom and versatility granted by layer-by-layer fabrication and materials are opening up new frontiers for all kinds of artists. 

Affordable 3D printing technologies here at 3D2GO are contributing to innovation in design and scale within fields like sculpture, fashion, and installation art as well as collaborations across disciplines.

Contact us to learn more about the different digital technologies that are giving rise to new opportunities for artists!