RiRi mini2018

Lithuanian-born, Germany-based Askelovic (ASPENCROW) is fascinated by anatomy and specializes in creating realistic, life-sized sculptures, which he makes from silicone, fiberglass, and resin. “I create sculptures of celebrities with strong characters and alluring faces as I find these very interesting to sculpt,” Askelovic said, adding that he has been planning on tackling Rihanna for a long time. The series, “Rihanna,” consists of three unique variations of the same sculpture of the singer wearing an American football helmet inspired by Basquiat’s famous AARON helmet. This one is emblazoned with the singer’s “RIRI” alias. Askelovic said that the project, which took five months to complete, is “a symbiosis of Rihanna and Basquiat.” “I included Rihanna’s tattoos on the sculpture, but interpreted them in the style of Basquiat,” he said. “When the time came to paint I switched on music, as Basquiat would do, and I became so engrossed in it that I finished all the painting in two days. It was a really enjoyable part of the work process.”