At first glance, Ben Koracevic’s work looks like it was drawn with graphite pencil. However, closer inspection reveals that his human and animal portraits are actually made of string.
Using thousands of nails carefully placed on a blank white canvas, Kolasevic spent countless hours carefully wrapping long lengths of black rope around the nails. In larger works, the length of a single rope can reach 2,500 meters. Over time, each piece comes to life like an intricate drawing, in which depth and tone are achieved through lines that criss-cross themselves. The more times the string is wrapped around an area, the darker and more opaque it will appear.
Kolasevich, who often spends up to 500 hours on a single portrait, says the keys to his work are "persistence, passion and patience." The self-taught artist said: "Creating and expressing in this rare art form is a constant challenge. It inspires me to produce unique and detailed artworks."
From majestic animal portraits to realistic depictions of celebrities, Kolasevich’s rope artwork is impressive. If you want to appreciate the complexity of these works up close, you can see a selection of Kolasevich’s works at THE LINE contemporary art space in London from 2 July to 30 October 2020.
Artist Ben Kolasevich creates strikingly realistic portraits of people and animals from string.
He spent countless hours meticulously wrapping long lengths of black string around carefully placed nails on the canvas.
Over time, each piece comes to life like a complex, criss-crossing drawing.
