The creepiest guard you’ll ever meet
The piece: “Seated Guard #2”
The artist: Marc Sijan Where: Art of the World Gallery, 2201 Westheimer
Why: “Art,” as his name tag identifies him, might just be the creepiest guard you’ll ever come across. He sits in a chair beside an elevator at Art of the World Gallery, physically at work but with a wan smile that makes it seem as if he’s lost in some private reverie.
His face and bare arms are wrinkled and mottled, marks that suggest his long journey through life. He doesn’t acknowledge visitors. Doesn’t even turn his head or even glance up with his eyes, which are glass.
“Art” is made of polyester resin and about 15 coats of paint.
Like Ron Mueck, whose so-called “hyperrealistic” sculptures have been a sensation this year at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, American artist Marc Sijan fools viewers’ eyes with works that look so alive you might get a little miffed that they’re ignoring you.
Mueck, however, plays with scale; his sculptures tend to be either much larger or smaller than they should be, based on people he has seen, maybe drawn or photographed.
Sijan does live casting with human models, often collaborating with his neighbors, friends and relatives to capture their emotion and body language, creating works that are detailed down to their fingerprints.
Several other Sijan sculptures, including a standing guard, a housekeeper and a cowboy, lurk at other places in the gallery.