This Artist Makes Sand Sculptures So Realistic That Many Take Them For Real

Whether painting or sculpting, if you have artistic talent, the means to reach the general public and convey a message, along with your passion, are easily found. The artist Andoni Bastarrika, originally from the Basque Country, has found a way to express himself through hyperrealistic sand sculptures representing animals of all kinds. Each of us, as children, has surely tried to create sandcastles and perhaps even managed to obtain more or less satisfactory results; but what Andoni creates goes far beyond what was mere childish amusement. His realistic sculptures amazed bathers on many beaches and entertained children around the world. Today Andoni has made a name for himself with his extraordinary skills and is known around the world.

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

His adventure with the sand began in 2010, while he was on the beach with his daughters. To please the girls, Andoni created a sand sculpture of the Little Mermaid – certainly not an artistic achievement from a technical point of view, but certainly an encouraging start, with which he became familiar with the “fluidity of his work. hands”. The artist said, in fact, that his hands already knew what to do.

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

Andoni discovered this artistic gift by chance, ending up cultivating it a little more every day.

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

To carry out his works, Andoni mainly uses his hands ; he integrates his work with brushes and toothpicks , especially for the realization of more precise details. Sand is the main medium he uses to create his life-size works, but he also sometimes includes exterior elements of a different nature; for example, in his famous sculpture of the “Bull” he used objects to replicate the horns and hooves of the animal.

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

Humidity is an essential factor for the realization of these sculptures. When you create a sculpture, countless particles of a sand kick in, sticking to each other with moisture. Once completed, the work returns to its original natural form, consumed by wind and tides.

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

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image credit: Instagram / andoni bastarrika

Most of his works are a true tribute to nature. If you want to know more, you can visit his Instagram profile, where photos of his most beautiful works of sand are collected.