Incredibly realistic sand sculptures, made by Spanish artist Andoni Bastarrika

Sand sculptor Andoni Bastarrika

Andoni Bastarrika: Instagram // Facebook.

Bastarrika artistic journey with sand began in the summer of 2010 on a beach with his two girls. The first sculpture he made was a little mermaid. Working on it allowed him to discover what he calls his gift: The ‘fluidity’ of his hands. “They knew what they were doing. I devoted myself to developing this gift and have spent the last 10 years doing just that”.

Andoni Bastarrika: “The sand fascinates me because no matter how you look at it, it will always teach you things if you are willing to learn,” Bastarrika wrote on his Facebook account. “In order to create a sculpture, an unthinkable number of sand particles participate, hugging each other tightly through humidity, so that someone could model their union. And once the artist steps back, its piece will remain at the mercy of nature, meaning that sooner or later the wind will dry them up and release each particle, slowly consuming all the individuality and authenticity.”

Andoni Bastarrika: “Then, there’s the nudity they bring with themselves to this world at birth which they keep until their death. That nudity — at least to me — symbolizes freedom, the essential ingredient to being able to truly live. Humans ‘overdress’ to survive in a lot of ways. I have never made nor will I make an animal with a necklace or chains. I prefer to embrace their freedom, power, and wisdom through beauty rather than a form of suffering.”

Andoni Bastarrika: “”The time it takes to create one piece largely depends on its size,” Bastarrika explained. “The elephant, for example, took me 2 days, while the horse and the bison took 12 hours each. The dogs, which were smaller, needed about 6 to 8 hours.”