Sculptures in Motion (10 Photos vol. 5)

October 29, 2026

By Vidar

Ten sculptures that refuse to stay still

A runner pushes through a snowstorm, a face grows from a crown of leaves, giant stone fingers hold a living tree, and a child rests on a dog-shaped street sculpture. None of them can move, but they don’t look like it.

More: When Sculptures Come Alive (9 Photos vol. 2)

🦎 “Salamander” — By Bordalo II in Águeda, Portugal 🇵🇹

A wrecked car becomes the head, while tires and plastic containers form a body ready to crawl across the square. Bordalo II built the 2015 installation from three motor vehicles and other waste, inspired by a salamander from the protected Rio Vouga landscape.

💡 Name Fact: Bordalo II is the working name of Artur Bordalo, born in 1987. The “II” is a tribute to his grandfather, the painter Real Bordalo.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsSalamanderBordalo II · 2015 · ÁguedaTrash artAgitÁguedaBordalo II1Built from three cars, several tyres and plastic cans, according to a local blog.Papeleta da Leituga2Made in July 2015 for the AgitÁgueda festival, curated by Mistaker Maker.StreetArtNews201515 JulBuilt for AgitÁgueda · StreetArtNews201516 JulFeatured by designboom201528 JulCouncil: “Salamandra” in Praça do Município20163 FebLocal blog: the trash art goes back to the trashRead the full file →

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🧳 A Traveler at Sunset — By Bruno Catalano in Viareggio, Italy 🇮🇹

Much of the traveler’s torso is missing, while the suitcase links the upper and lower sections. The sunset shines through the open body, making the figure look as if it is arriving and disappearing at the same time.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsJ4Bruno Catalano · 2022 · ViareggioBronzeLes VoyageursBruno Catalano1One of three monumental bronzes, about 3 metres tall, installed on Viareggio's port, VersiliaPost reported.VersiliaPost2The Voyageurs are bronzes that lack the central part of the body, according to Toscana's regional portal.intoscana202224 MayThree bronzes installed on the pier · VersiliaPost202224 MayShow opens; gallery lists it to 30 Sep 2022202226 MayReported by Toscana regional news2023SepEnd of the show per the artist's siteRead the full file →

More: Bruno Catalano’s Fragmented Travelers

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🐊 Straw Crocodile — Wara Art Festival, Niigata, Japan 🇯🇵

Its body stays low to the ground while the enormous jaws rise toward the camera, complete with individual straw teeth. The Wara Art Festival brings art students and local residents together to turn rice straw left after the harvest into monumental animals.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsStraw CrocodileMusashino Art University students and local residents · 2017 · NiigataRice strawWara ArtNiigata1Posed beside the pond as if climbing out of the water, and built so visitors could step inside, according to PARTNER's visit report.PARTNER2Made by Musashino Art University students and local residents for the 2017 Wara Art Festival.Niigata City20174 SepCrocodile by the pond, open inside · Partner201711 OctThe 2017 straw animals · Time Out Tokyo201718 DecCity page: shown until 1 November 2017Read the full file →

More: Inside the Wara Art Festival

🤝 “Story of Friendship” — By Batist Vermeulen in Antwerp, Belgium 🇧🇪

The child lies across the dog’s back while the sculpture seems to rise directly from the cobbled plaza. The pose makes the two figures read as quiet companions.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsNello & PatrascheBatist Vermeulen · 2016 · AntwerpAntwerpWhite marble20161The sculpture was installed on Handschoenmarkt, outside Antwerp Cathedral, in 2016.VRT2Energy-efficient LED lighting was switched on in November 2022, according to VRT.VRT2016Installed on Handschoenmarkt, according to VRT’s 2023 account20227 NovLED lighting switched on; reported by VRT the following day202316 JulBlack-marker vandalism documented in VRT’s 17 July report; later condition not verifiedRead the full file →

More: A Timeless Tale of Friendship in Antwerp

🤲 “The Caring Hand” — By Eva Oertli and Beat Huber in Glarus, Switzerland 🇨🇭

A tree grows between monumental stone fingers, turning a simple gesture of support into something large enough to walk around.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsThe Caring HandEva Oertli and Beat Huber · GlarusConcreteSkulptura 04Copy in Alabama1Planned for the four months of the Skulptura 04 show, then donors raised CHF 43,700 to give it to the town, the artist says.Beat Huber2The heaviest finger is the thumb, reportedly about 800 kilograms.Südostschweiz202315 MayTown announces full dismantling for repairs on 22 May202315 MayThe concrete hand needs a 'manicure' · Südostschweiz20231 SepBack in the Volksgarten · Südostschweiz202429 JunArtist's page on Glarus and the Montgomery copyRead the full file →

More: Sculptures That Blend With Nature

🏃 “Dromeas” / “The Runner” — By Costas Varotsos in Athens, Greece 🇬🇷

Thousands of sharp glass layers trail behind the 12-meter figure like a wake. Varotsos built the work from iron and glass; it stands on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, and the snow makes its sense of speed even stranger.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsDromeas (The Runner II) — Costas Varotsos, AthensCostas Varotsos · 1994 · AthensAthensGlass and iron19941The artist lists the present Runner II as 12 metres high.Artist’s record2His chronology separates the 1988 Omonia work from the 1994 Runner.Artist’s chronology1988Original Runner recorded in Omonia Square1994Later Athens Runner recorded in the artist’s chronology202229 JunCity of Athens event listing; not a photograph dateRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Igor Mityakov

More: One of the Most Iconic Statues of Athens Covered in Snow

🍃 “Ginkgo” — By Daniel Popper at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, USA 🇺🇸

A calm face looks out from one hundred fan-shaped leaves. Popper created the eight-foot cast-aluminum sculpture for the Arboretum’s 2022 centennial; it later moved to The Elser Hotel in Miami.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsGinkgoDaniel Popper · 2022 · Lisle, IllinoisCast aluminum100 leaves8 feet tall1Its face is framed by 100 ginkgo leaves, one for each year of The Morton Arboretum.The Morton Arboretum2Cast aluminum and about 8 feet tall, according to the artist's site.Daniel Popper202214 JunGinkgo shown in the 2022 expansion · My Modern Met202217 JunOutside the Visitor Center · NCTV17202217 JunThree new sculptures unveiled, incl. cast aluminum Ginkgo · Secret Chicago202221 JunArboretum interview with the artist202527 JanArtist: now permanent at E11EVEN MIAMI; Arboretum photos from 2022–2023202525 FebArtist: permanent at the Elser Hotel, MiamiRead the full file →

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🧘 A Quiet Moment — By Isaac Cordal in Barcelona, Spain 🇪🇸

A miniature cement figure sits cross-legged in the middle of the city while a blurred bird passes behind it. He looks completely at home in a world built at the wrong scale for him.

💡 Artist Fact: Cordal was born in Pontevedra, Spain, in 1974, studied sculpture there and then spent five years training in stone conservation. He has been placing his cement figures, reproduced from silicone molds, in public spaces since 2006 as part of the ongoing Cement Eclipses series.

More: Isaac Cordal in Barcelona

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🤲 “Heartwood” — By Daniel Popper in Montgomery, Alabama, USA 🇺🇸

The monumental woman parts around the path, inviting visitors to walk through the figure. Fingerprint-like grooves echo tree rings; Heartwood now stands at the Equal Justice Initiative’s Freedom Monument Sculpture Park.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsHeartwoodDaniel Popper · 2024 · Montgomery, AlabamaGFRC and steelDaniel PopperFiberglass leaves1A woman's bust split in two, with each half bordering a path through the park, My Modern Met reported.My Modern Met2Fingerprint-like lines take the place of tree rings, the artist says.Daniel Popper202120 MayAnnounced for Human+Nature at The Morton Arboretum20217 JunShown at the Arboretum · My Modern Met202431 JulArtist: permanent home in Montgomery's Freedom Monument Sculpture Park202425 OctDrone footage of Heartwood in Montgomery, posted by the artist202522 JanDescribed in the park · My Modern MetRead the full file →

📷 Photo: Jonx Pillemer

More: Daniel Popper Builds Giants You Can Walk Through

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🕊️ “La Colombe” — By James Colomina

A red dove claims the streetlamp as its perch, an olive branch held in its beak. From below, the lamp looks like it was put there for the bird.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsLa ColombeJames Colomina · KyivOlive branchKyivOn a stamp1Perched on a lamp post on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, near the memorial to fallen soldiers.Interfax-Ukraine2Ukrposhta put it on a 2025 stamp block, 'ART vs WAR. James Colomina'.Ukrposhta202427 AugDove placed on a Maidan lamp post · NV202430 AugInstalled during the curfew · Konbini20245 SepAmong Colomina's Kyiv works · Beaux Arts202520 FebUkrposhta announces stamps of the Maidan works · Interfax-Ukraine202524 FebStamp block presented · Suspilne KyivRead the full file →