Metis Atash

Metis Atash is a German sculptor based in Miami, internationally recognized for striking sculptures that merge spirituality, contemporary culture and luxury craftsmanship. She graduated in political economy in her native Germany and ran her own investor relations consultancy boutique in Munich before turning, in August 2007, her devotion to art, design and fashion into the making of one-of-a-kind sculptures. German by nationality but a citizen of the world, she traveled widely before settling in Miami. The formality of her education and the inventiveness she brought to business inform the creativity and meticulousness with which she conceives and executes her work, and her entrepreneurial spirit has driven the rapid rise of its visibility among design and architectural circles.

Her creations combine conceptual, minimalist and pop art traditions, uniting pop aesthetics with deep, spiritual and sensitive meanings in a form accessible to a fast-paced modern society. Her signature Punk Buddha series, meticulously adorned with hand-applied Swarovski crystals and crowned with punk mohawk spikes, transforms traditional iconography into luminous contemporary statements. The figures merge punk rebellion with Buddhist serenity, symbolizing a quest for spiritual purity amid material chaos and the balance between inner peace and external expression, ancient wisdom and modern culture, luxury and individuality. Atash rejects facile interpretation of her art and explores the philosophical core beneath its glittering surface: her embrace of the Law of Attraction, the idea that we attract what we desire, and of its necessary duality in life, that knowing what we do not want brings us closer to knowing what we really want. These twin concepts, the foundation of her life and work, are represented by her Buddhas.

Atash began her philosophical journey on the Indonesian island of Bali, which she visits regularly to oversee the production of her fiberglass molds of softly rounded, gesturing and praying, child-like Buddhas. The labor-intensive process concludes in her Miami studio, where she sketches the intricate designs onto the molds and a team of assistants helps her paint and then encrust each one with multi-colored Swarovski crystals numbering in the thousands. She also sculpts in iron, cement and wood, and every piece passes through a multi-step process in which she is involved at each stage. Reflecting her respect for haute couture and for contemporary art history, each Punk Buddha, large or diminutive Baby, is named for an iconic figure in fashion or art whose recognizable style inspires the pattern on its robe, from Basquiat to Balmain, Warhol to Hermès, Kusama to Chanel.

Running from the top of the skull down the back of each head is a row of ornamental spikes, a mohawk of sorts that Atash relates to the punk rock movement of the 1970s and 1980s and regards as emblematic of freedom of choice and expression. Seen in profile or casting shadows, the curving, spiky coronas turn into benevolent halos, reminding those who would reduce Punk Buddhas to an expression of twenty-first-century consumerism that these seated forms are also powerful totems, capable of both dazzling the eye and stirring the soul.

Her intention is to create sculptures of striking beauty without sacrificing artistic values: traditional subjects combined with modern styles, unique in form yet approachable for daily use, each one-of-a-kind and lending its living space a distinct aura. "Spaces are like humans," she says. "The more personality they have, the stronger they are. In the way that fashion accentuates each individual's appearance, my creations award living spaces a very unique and special charisma too. I perceive my art as Haute Couture. The creations are not committed to a special style and taste, but rather showcase a breathtaking mix of trends that mark our past, current and future period."