Welcome

Ernst Haeckel’s Jellyfish Illustrations

Ernst Haeckel, a German biologist, found solace in the beauty of jellyfish after his wife Anna’s tragic death. He named a species after her, Mitrocoma Annae, and dedicated his life to studying these creatures. His work, including a two-volume monograph and the book Art Forms in Nature, contributed significantly to evolutionary studies. His fascination with jellyfish is immortalized in his home, Villa Medusa, decorated with frescoes of these captivating creatures.

Fabrizio Corneli

“Medusa” Sculpture

Born in 1958, Italian artist Fabrizio Corneli is renowned for his unique use of light and shadow. Originally aspiring to be a musician, he later graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. His work, characterized by calculated projections of light, creates mind-boggling shadow art. His installations and sculptures, found in private collections worldwide, are permanently installed in Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Qatar. He also created large-scale sunlight/shadow installations, including one on a skyscraper in Kobe’s Central District Sannomya.”   Fabrizio Corneli’s “Medusa” sculpture is one of his most famous works, depicting a giant jellyfish.

Rick Satava

"Glass Jellyfish Sculptures" 

Satava is a master glassblower from Chico, California, who creates incredibly lifelike jellyfish sculptures out of glass. His works are so realistic that people often wonder if they’re looking at real jellyfish preserved in glass. In the late 1980s, the artist was inspired after a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After spending three years experimenting, using the glass-in-glass technique and getting the translucent colors just right, he began selling his sculptures in 1990. His works sold so well that Satava made more of them, and by 2002, he was designing and creating about 300 jellyfish sculptures each month. Satava describes his sculptures as “vertically oriented, colorful, fanciful jellyfish with tendril-like tentacles and a rounded bell encased in an outer layer of rounded clear glass that is bulbous at the top and tapering toward the bottom to form roughly a bullet shape, with the jellyfish portion of the sculpture filling almost the entire volume of the outer, clear-glass shroud”. The glass-in-glass technique is a centuries-old art form that consists of a glass sculpture inside a second glass layer, oftentimes called a shroud. The inner glass sculpture is formed first and then it is dipped into molten glass, encasing it in a solid outer glass shroud. Before it cools, the shroud is malleable so the artist can manipulate it into any shape he so desires. You can find Satava’s amazing jellyfish sculptures in galleries around the world or you can purchase one yourself right on Satava’s website.

Shih Chieh Huang

"Sea Creatures"

Shih Chieh Huang is a Taiwanese artist known for his unique and captivating installations that transform everyday objects into surreal sea creatures1. His work is a blend of art and science, inspired by the deep-sea creatures that produce light, a process known as bioluminescence2.

Huang’s artistic journey began with everyday objects — plastic bottles, food containers, old computer parts, plastic garbage bags1. He saw potential in these mundane items and transformed them into extraordinary, lifelike sea creatures1. These creations tower over the viewer, moving as if they’re alive, with eyes that blink, tentacles that unfurl, and bioluminescent parts that glow1.

His inspiration came from a fellowship at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, where he studied bioluminescent organisms1. He was fascinated by the unique characteristics of these creatures, such as the silver hatchetfish, the vampire squid, and the flashlight fish1. He was particularly intrigued by the fact that many bioluminescent creatures did not grow ‘new’ light organs. Instead, the light organs often evolved from a pre-existing organ1.

Huang’s installations are not just visually stunning; they also convey a deeper message about evolution and adaptation. For instance, he noted that for the lanternfish, the light organ was a mutated dorsal fin infected by bioluminescent bacteria1. This concept of taking existing objects, merging them, and creating something new and magical is a central theme in Huang’s work.

His installations are a testament to his creativity and ingenuity. For example, in one of his installations that was part of the 2009 Arc Biennial of Art in Australia, Huang’s organisms competed for scarce resources1. In another, he used plastic bags, computer cooling fans, and a microcontroller to bring a creature to life1. He even used highlighters to create a glowing effect in the liquid inside plastic bottles.

Huang’s work extends beyond just creating individual creatures. He also creates entire ecosystems, where his creatures interact with each other and their environment3. Suspended from the ceiling, his motorized creations inflate and deflate, lighting up the room in primary hues, creating an ambiance that is both futuristic and prehistoric.

In addition to using everyday materials, Huang has also experimented with more traditional art forms. He teamed up with glass masters from Venice, Italy, to modify a Renaissance-style glass chandelier with household electronics1. This fusion of old and new, traditional and modern, further showcases Huang’s versatility as an artist.

Huang’s work is a celebration of life, evolution, and the magic of transformation. His installations invite viewers to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, to appreciate the beauty and complexity of life, and to contemplate our relationship with the natural world1. His work serves as a reminder that art and science are not separate realms, but rather two sides of the same coin, each enriching and informing the other.

Takashi Murakami

Japanese artist Takashi Murakami has created works featuring jellyfish-like creatures1. His style, known as “Superflat”, often incorporates elements from Japanese popular culture, including anime and manga.