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Playful clay sculptures that combine human and animal form by Chao Harn-Kae

In his ongoing body of work, Malaysian artist Chao Harn-Kae uses clay to create the most unusual sculptures of quirky creatures, many of which combine human elements such as hands protruding from their heads.

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A ceramic sculpture by Chao Harn-Kae with a pale human face and red nose wearing a black headband, with black clay hands raised on either side of the head

After graduating in Fine Arts from the Malaysian Institute of Art – where he majored in oil painting – Chao became fond of three-dimensional art and began experimenting with ceramics to craft his signature style sculptures. His work hasn't gone unnoticed – he was named one of the finalists of the 2015 New Art Wave International Artist Award.

Now based in Hong Kong, Chao told EJInsight: “Ceramics can be very fragile. Some break into pieces in the process. Some melt into a paste. If that happens, I have to start the creation all over again. Unlike other art forms, there is no way you can fix or amend it. It is simply a one-off thing.”

And that's what makes these sculptures so special. Their fragility perhaps hints at our own fragile existence on earth, and how we're closer to nature than we might think. To discover more of Chao's beautiful work, follow him on Behance.

Via Behance

Clay sculpture by Chao Harn-Kae combining a human face with goat-like features, including curved horns and a patterned body, against a pale background
Ceramic sculpture by Chao Harn-Kae combining a human face with animal heads and a hand protruding from the top against a grey background
Dark clay sculptural head with a pale white face and two hands emerging from the top, created by Malaysian artist Chao Harn-Kae
Close-up of a clay sculpture with a pale human-like face featuring closed eyes and lips, set against a dark textured head with linear markings
Ceramic sculpture by Chao Harn-Kae with a peach-coloured human face with closed eyes and small mouth, atop a dark textured cylindrical neck and shoulders
Ceramic sculpture by Chao Harn-Kae featuring a pale human face with a red nose and black hands protruding from the head like ears against a grey background
Clay sculpture with a pale human face, red nose and closed eyes, topped with a black ribbed cap and two dark sculptural hands extending upward like ears
Ceramic sculpture by Chao Harn-Kae featuring a pale human face with black textured hands emerging from the top of the head against a grey background
Close-up of a pale clay sculpture showing a human face with closed eyes and parted lips, topped with a dark glossy finial or decorative element
Ceramic sculpture with a black cylindrical neck and head, featuring a pale pink face with closed eyes and red cheeks, topped with black hair and small black ears protruding from the sides
Pale clay sculptured head with closed eyes and parted lips, topped with a dark textured form resembling hair or a fin-like extension against a grey background
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