Love and Butterflies

Free-Standing Assemblage Sculpture - Found Objects & Mixed Media - 2022

A sculpture of a horse made from metal parts and colorful glass elements, featuring a butterfly on its mane, displayed on a black base against a plain wall.
A sculpture of a horse made from metal parts and colorful glass elements, featuring a butterfly on its mane, displayed on a black base against a plain wall.

Overview

A robot made of metallic parts with a heart-shaped iridescent object on its forehead, large googly eyes, and decorative elements resembling a face.

Love and Butterflies is a one-of-a-kind assemblage sculpture by Emmanuel Marti that transforms an unexpected collection of found objects into a luminous anglerfish celebrating love, affection, and imagination. Integrated lighting brings the whimsical creature to life, illuminating its expressive form and creating a warm, otherworldly presence. Blending playful materials with delicate forms and mechanical ingenuity, the sculpture explores how unexpected objects can be transformed into something joyful, intimate, and full of wonder.

Details

Year, 2022

Size, Medium

Materials: Pre-Loved Toys, Donated Swarovski Crystal Butterflies, Found Objects, Metal, Wood, LED Lighting

Dimensions: 18 × 34 × 21 in.

The Story Behind
Love and Butterflies

Discover the friendship, unexpected materials, and luminous love story that brought this whimsical creature to life.

A dear friend entrusted the artist with her cherished Swarovski crystal butterflies, asking that they be immortalized in a work of art. After a search for the perfect foundation, the sculpture gradually emerged through an unlikely orchestra of objects: a child's Transformers Bumblebee helmet, a frisbee, a tambourine, and strands of Christmas icicle lights.

The result is Love and Butterflies—a luminous anglerfish who has fallen deeply in love with the light he carries within. Crystal butterflies flutter inside his stomach alongside hand-blown glass hearts that echo the warm glow of his lure. Illuminated by integrated LED lighting, the sculpture continues to emit a gentle glow even after the lights have been switched off, extending its sense of wonder beyond the moment of illumination.

Blending whimsy, romance, and mechanical ingenuity, Love and Butterflies celebrates transformation, affection, and the remarkable beauty that can emerge when unexpected objects are brought together with imagination and purpose.

A Closer Look

Every assemblage reveals new stories through its textures, materials, and hidden details.

A metallic sculpture of a horse made from various metal parts, including gears and chains, displays with a cloth sail on its back, set against a plain, light-colored wall.
A sculpture of a porpoise made from various metallic objects and filled with colorful items inside, set on a black pedestal against a beige wall.
A close-up view of a decorative table lamp featuring a heart-shaped, colorful, illuminated glass piece with a swirl pattern, crystal-like hanging strands, and additional small decorative elements around the base.
A detailed model of a dragon with glowing parts and stained glass-like wings, set on a table with lamps casting colorful reflections, in a dark room.
Colorful abstract art with vivid hues of pink, green, blue, and orange, textured with crinkled and swirling patterns.
Close-up view of a high-tech device with metal components, glass beads, and green lighting, possibly a scientific or industrial apparatus.