Unkei (c. 1150–1223) was centuries ahead of European wood carvers. The Japanese sculptor was the very first to introduce expression in the faces of his sculptures. He also already worked under his own name, while the European makers of Christ and Mary sculptures still delivered […]
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Katsura Funakoshi brings Japanese to life. His wooden sculptures breathe a serene beauty. With a masterful command of classical Japanese wood carving techniques, he gives his figures a lifelike presence. Also because the marble eyes seem to look at you. Katsura Funakoshi brings Japanese to
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Martin Puryear depicts the social ladder as an endless climb. His wooden ladder of almost 11 meters gets narrower the higher it goes. The title Ladder for Booker T. Washington refers to one of the first Black African-American leaders. Puryear himself also comes from the
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A Pilgrimage to Val Gardena. This short presentation by Wowwood focuses on five Internationally Renowned Wood Artists born and working in this valley in South-Tirol, Italy. The longer biography’s can be found in the blog on Wowwood. A short presentation by Wowwood. Val Gardena has
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Gehard Demetz doubles faces. Especially those of children, who at a young age are forced to adopt existing role models as identity. A girl is presented with the attributes of the Virgin Mary, which function almost as a mask. Gehard Demetz doubles faces, like this
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The memento mori of Aron Demetz are not classical artworks with skulls, wilted flowers or hourglasses. His wooden sculptures make death itself visible. The heads and bodies of his sculptures show traces of transience and decay. Demetz shows the inevitable end, without passing moral judgment. The memento
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The website Wowwood about wood art has received more than 100,000 visitors since February 2025. This weekend of January 17-18, 2026, the milestone was crossed with 100,656 visitors. Lately Wowwood welcomes more than 350 people per day. Wowwood now receives 100,000 visitors per year, with
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Gregor Prugger has made a heart of wood. From the heart-shaped sculpture sprouts a bunch of branches that strikingly resembles the widely branched bloodstream in human lungs. This wood artist from Val Gardena tells a story that is already hidden in the wood. He only
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Willy Verginer prays on an oil barrel, while a color plane indicates the rising sea level. The oil drums return in numerous other sculptures. A child can no longer play carefree in the water due to all the floating barrels and other debris around them.
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Bruno Walpoth honors the vulnerable human, huddled, turned inward, closed off from the outside world. By painting his sculptures with white primer, the life-sized sculptures also appear as shadows of themselves. These characteristics make Walpoth one of the most famous representatives of contemporary wood carvers
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