William Kendzierski

New Jersey artist William Kendzierski creates sculptures that he considers “hyper-realism”. Works that look so real it’s hard to tell if they are or not. Whether it’s from his fast food series of burgers and fries, one of his robotic replicas, or his very life-like sculptures of human forms, you’ll find yourself taking a second look. Inspiration he says, comes from everyday life.


“I don’t want something to be contrived, posed. I want it to look natural.”


Recently, Kendzierski has been inspired by the movement of dancers and has begun creating a series of sculptures of dancers. On any given day, you might find one of the talented dancers from the nearby Ovations Dance Studio, propped on a table and covered with plaster.

Friday Arts visited the artist in his studio as he began working on a piece with the school’s owner, Rita Ogden. It began with a photo session to develop poses, then Kendierski and girlfriend Eileen O’Connell, who often assists, covered Rita’s body with the pink, gooey substance that would help reveal every little pore and goose bump when the cast was removed. The body parts are cast separately and later clamped together to create the actual piece. Then he molds the piece to get it to the final silicone stage.

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