Međimurje artist Tomislav Horvat is known for creating stunning sculptures from matches. He has been working on these masterpieces for years, pouring all of his time, effort, and patience into each piece. His love for art began in high school, where he studied civil engineering and was inspired by the mosaic made of ceramics from the Italian Renaissance. This led him to come up with the idea that he could create three-dimensional objects from easily accessible materials like matches.
At first, Tomislav created models of various buildings, churches, windmills, and even a laptop from matches. However, after five years of making these models, they became too easy for him to create. That’s when he decided to take on a new challenge and start working on his first sculpture – “The Godfather” inspired by the film trilogy of the same name. He finished this sculpture in 2013 and installed 117,000 matches in it.
After completing “The Godfather,” Tomislav continued to create larger and more complex sculptures using matches as his primary material. His next sculpture was “The Pianist,” inspired by Mozart’s music and featuring 210,000 matches incorporated into its design. Despite describing his works as monuments to greatness, one of his pieces stands out as a testament to the problem of displacement – “Desperate.” This sculpture depicts a man on his knees with a suitcase by his side, parting ways with his family. It took him two years to complete this work and featured 54,000 matches built into it.
Currently, Tomislav is working on a monumental piece that will surpass all of his previous works – “The Creator.” Inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpiece David, this sculpture will feature an impressive 400,000 matches built into its design. Tomislav has been working on this project for six years and estimates that he still needs another year or two to complete it fully. Overall, Tomislav’s oeuvre includes over one million matches used in various sculptures throughout his career – but this isn’t the end yet! The talented artist continues to explore new ideas and plans on creating even more stunning works in the future.
In conclusion,
Tomislav Horvat is an exceptional artist who uses common items like matches as building blocks for grandiose creations.
His dedication towards creating art is admirable as he puts in countless hours every day working tirelessly until he reaches perfection.
With millions of matches under his belt so far