In the labyrinth of contemporary art, few creators manage to craft works that simultaneously appear skittish  and deeply existential. Mr Clement, the elusive artist hailing from Japan, has achieved just that with his sculpture Ribs of Amour. This piece—an immaculate union of sleek white surfaces and mirrored silver bones—transcends the boundaries of traditional figurative sculpture and enters a conceptual terrain where innocence and raw vulnerability collide.

Mr Clement: Between Anime and Existentialism

To understand Ribs of Amour, one must first enter the peculiar world of Mr Clement. Originally trained in design and illustration, Mr Clement has long resisted clear categorization. His works orbit somewhere between Japanese manga, minimalist sculpture, and European existentialist philosophy, bridging East and West with seamless elegance.

His most recognizable creation, Lapin, a melancholic, anthropomorphic bunny figure, embodies his entire aesthetic universe. Lapin is not merely a mascot or a toy-like figure; it is a vessel for meditating on loneliness, identity, and the transient nature of existence. Mr Clement’s creations are often deceptively cute at first glance, yet a closer inspection reveals deep undercurrents of existential dread and longing.

The Anatomy of Ribs of Amour

Ribs of Amour represents a significant evolution of Mr Clement’s thematic interests. The sculpture presents a figure with characteristic bunny ears and simplified white limbs, caught in a moment of emotional self-concealment: an arm crosses the face in a pose suggestive of shyness or sorrow.

Yet beneath the glossy, cartoonish exterior, the torso splits open to reveal a hyper-polished silver rib cage—an anatomical, almost mechanical core gleaming with cold perfection. The juxtaposition of the whimsical exterior with the stark metallic interior evokes a narrative about duality: surface versus essence, innocence versus experience, concealment versus revelation.

This ribcage, stylized yet detailed, functions both as a metaphor for emotional vulnerability and a literal representation of the body’s inner structure. The viewer is invited to contemplate what lies beneath appearances—an invitation both intimate and unsettling.

A Dialogue with Art History

While the piece feels distinctly contemporary, Ribs of Amour also engages in subtle dialogues with art historical precedents. In its mixture of softness and hard-edged precision, it echoes the Surrealists’ fascination with dissecting the human form to reveal subconscious truths.

Artists like Hans Bellmer, who explored fragmented and manipulated bodies as metaphors for psychological trauma, or René Magritte, whose quiet surrealism exposed the strangeness of the ordinary, seem to reverberate within Mr Clement’s work.

Additionally, the highly reflective interior surfaces recall Jeff Koons’ mirror-polished sculptures, which often explore consumer culture and self-perception. However, while Koons traffics in bombast and spectacle, Mr Clement’s approach is intimate and contemplative, grounded in personal rather than collective experience.

Materiality and Craft: The Language of Surfaces

A defining aspect of Ribs of Amour is its intense focus on materials. The outer shell, rendered in immaculate white, embodies purity and simplicity, reminiscent of traditional Japanese ceramics and the Zen aesthetic of wabi-sabi, which celebrates subtlety and imperfection.

In contrast, the silver ribcage, nearly clinical in its shine, introduces a jarring precision. This contrast foregrounds the tension between external presentation and internal reality—a tension that resonates deeply in an age dominated by social media and curated self-image.

The craftsmanship demands close inspection. The transition between white and chrome is seamless yet deliberate, guiding the viewer’s gaze from the outer innocence to the inner complexity. In this journey, we are reminded that no surface is ever truly smooth, no identity ever entirely coherent.

Emotion Encapsulated: The Gesture

The figure’s arm, draped protectively over its face, is a powerful element of the sculpture. This gesture speaks of embarrassment, withdrawal, or even silent mourning. Unlike classical heroic statues that celebrate triumph and strength, Ribs of Amour honors fragility.

In Japanese culture, there is a profound respect for restraint and non-verbal communication. The idea of ma (negative space or pause) and ensō (the Zen circle, symbolizing the beauty of imperfection and the void) often inform artistic gestures. Mr Clement’s figure embodies this ethos: its subtle body language communicates more than words ever could.

The Concept of Amour: Love as Exposure

The title Ribs of Amour adds another interpretive layer. The word “amour” invokes love, intimacy, and connection, while the ribs suggest both protection and exposure. In human anatomy, ribs shield vital organs, yet in this sculpture, they are laid bare, polished to an almost painful perfection.

This interplay suggests that love itself is an act of vulnerability. To love is to expose one’s inner structure, to risk being seen and possibly hurt. Mr Clement’s sculpture embodies this paradox: the more we open ourselves to love, the more we reveal our inner fragility.

A Mirror for the Viewer

The reflective silver ribs transform the sculpture into an interactive experience. As viewers approach, they see themselves mirrored in the interior structure, becoming participants in the narrative of exposure and vulnerability.

This device is reminiscent of Yayoi Kusama’s mirrored rooms, where infinite reflections immerse the viewer in self-contemplation. Here, the experience is more intimate but no less profound: the viewer’s own image within the ribcage suggests that we, too, carry hidden complexities beneath our surfaces.

Contemporary Relevance: The Mask of Identity

In the age of digital personas, curated Instagram feeds, and hyper-branding, Ribs of Amour serves as a subtle critique. It questions the dissonance between our public “shell” and our private “bones.”

Mr Clement’s work challenges the idea that one must choose between being strong and being vulnerable. It proposes a more holistic vision of identity, one that embraces the co-existence of contradictory states. In a cultural moment obsessed with “authenticity” yet reliant on filters, this sculpture feels especially urgent.

Reception

Collectors and critics have praised Ribs of Amour for its emotional depth and striking formal balance. While many of Mr Clement’s works occupy the gray area between fine art and designer toy culture, this piece moves decisively into the realm of contemporary sculpture.

Its impact lies in its ability to appeal on multiple levels: aesthetically minimalist, conceptually complex, and emotionally resonant. For longtime fans of Mr Clement, Ribs of Amour marks a maturation of his practice—an evolution from playful melancholy to existential profundity.

Impression 

Ribs of Amour is not merely a sculpture but an invitation to self-reflection. It asks us to confront our own layers, to recognize the skeleton beneath the smile, the softness beneath the armor.

In Mr Clement’s world, bunnies can be philosophers, toys can carry secrets, and ribs can tell stories of love and loss. This delicate balance between innocence and complexity defines his oeuvre and positions him as one of the most intriguing contemporary artists of our time.

Ultimately, Ribs of Amour offers a quiet yet piercing message: true strength lies not in hiding our vulnerabilities, but in acknowledging and sharing them. In this luminous fusion of white purity and silver exposure, we find a metaphor for our own human condition — imperfect, fragile, and endlessly beautiful.

No comments yet.