People speak sometimes about the “bestial” cruelty of man, but that is terribly unjust and offensive to beasts, no animal could ever be so cruel as a man.
Fëdor Dostoevskij
For many, a day at the beach means swimming in the sea, strolling along the shore, or perhaps attempting to build a sandcastle. But for Andoni Bastarrika, a self-taught Spanish artist, sand is the raw material for creating extraordinary, hyper-realistic animal sculptures. The beaches of the Basque Country become his open-air studio, where he crafts astonishing works that appear to be living creatures resting on the shore. Using only his hands and occasionally small sticks to refine details, Bastarrika skillfully molds wet sand with incredible precision. To enhance the realism of his creations, he incorporates natural elements: his famous bull, for instance, features real horns and stone hooves, making it look like a sleeping animal on the beach.
Among his most admired sculptures are horses, sharks, alligators, rhinoceroses, and even an elephant. He has also created a series of dogs of various breeds, depicted peacefully resting on the sand. Images of his work have traveled around the world through his Instagram profile, where the artist shares his unique talent and poses next to his incredible masterpieces.
© 2025. All content on this magazine is protected by international copyright laws All images are copyrighted © by Andoni Bastarrika or assignee. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, the use of any image from this site is prohibited unless prior written permission is obtained. All images used for illustrative purposes only
Leave a comment