Rainbow Iridescent Glass Clay Erotic Phallus Phallic Erotic Rhinestone Sculpture LGBT Queer Art By Max Hammond Studio

MaxHammondStudio

A celebration of excess, desire and queer spectacle.

These glass rhinestone sculptures transform familiar forms into objects of seduction, humour and contradiction. Their kitsch surfaces and unapologetic glamour draw on the visual language of camp—where the excessive, the artificial and the seemingly vulgar become a means of expression.

The rhinestone becomes both material and metaphor: decorative, fragile, obsessive and deliberately conspicuous. Each surface demands attention, turning the object into something to be looked at, desired and questioned.

Rooted in queer visual culture, the works embrace the tension between masculinity and decoration, intimacy and spectacle, sincerity and irony. What might appear playful or absurd becomes a vehicle for examining how queer bodies, desires and identities are made visible.

MaxHammondStudio presents a contemporary crystal-encrusted sculpture – an original handcrafted work.

Created between 2024–2025, this piece was exhibited as part of “13 Beautiful Horses” in Leicester and featured in a review by Corridor8 Magazine (September/October 2025 issue).

This sculpture explores the tension between visibility and concealment—what is hidden, yet never entirely out of sight. Working at a significantly reduced scale, the piece shifts away from monumentality into something easily overlooked. Its size suggests near-functionality, echoing the dimensions of a bookmark or bookend, objects that exist quietly within everyday life. Yet here, that modest scale becomes conceptual, drawing attention to what is often minimised, dismissed, or undervalued.

Hand-formed in clay through an intuitive and instinctive process, the work reflects on the cultural narratives attached to the male body—particularly the association of size with worth. In contrast to dominant ideals, this piece embraces smallness, confronting the stigma often placed on it. It questions how value is assigned, especially within intimacy and relationships, where comparison and expectation frequently shape perception.

The surface is deliberately extravagant. A combination of multicoloured rhinestones—ranging across deep, vivid tones to lighter, reflective hues—creates a highly decorative, almost excessive finish. This glamourisation stands in direct opposition to the notion of concealment. What is typically hidden within clothing, private and unspoken, is here brought into visibility and adorned. The work elevates what is often kept discreet, transforming it into something to be looked at, considered, and re-evaluated.

This use of colour disrupts formality and challenges conceptual restraint. The vibrant, varied palette resists minimalism, instead embracing ornamentation as a critical tool. Materials often associated with superficiality are used with intention, undermining traditional hierarchies of taste and reinforcing the relationship between surface and meaning.

The sculpture exists within contradiction. It is small yet assertive, discreet yet attention-seeking, humorous yet critical. It invites the viewer to reconsider how value is constructed—not only in art, but in the body and in desire.

As with all works from MaxHammondStudio, rhinestones are applied individually by hand. Each piece takes approximately 25–50 hours to complete, resulting in a tactile, light-reactive surface that shifts depending on its environment.

These works are not mass-produced—they are physical extensions of personal narrative and lived experience.

Owning a piece from MaxHammondStudio is not simply about acquiring a sculpture—it is about investing in an artist and their evolving practice. Each work represents a moment within that journey.

The artist has been working within fine art for over eight years, holding a BA (Hons) in Fine Art and an MA in Contemporary Fine Art. Influences include Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois, John Giorno, and Andy Warhol.

No two pieces are ever the same. One of a kind.

Each artwork is hand-signed, numbered, and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Custom gift wrapping included.

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Details

• Original, one-of-a-kind artwork

• Hand-sculpted clay

• Individually hand-applied multicoloured rhinestone crystals

• Compact scale / intimate object size

• Contemporary, abstract, biomorphic / phallic form

• Signed and authenticated

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A work that embraces subtlety and confrontation—small in scale, yet loaded with meaning.

A striking piece that challenges ideas of value, visibility, and the expectations placed upon the body.