Leather Skull — A Sculpture in Bloom
Hand-crafted leather flowers, 2011

01st Jan 2011

Created in 2011, Leather Skull translates Jacky Tsai’s signature floral skull into a monumental, tactile form. Individual leather flowers are cut, shaped and stitched by hand, then assembled across the surface of the sculpture. From a distance they resolve into a skull; close up, the work becomes a landscape of petals, seams and embroidered detail.

The contrast between the skull and the flower sits at the heart of Tsai’s practice. A familiar symbol of mortality is transformed through an image of growth, inviting a different encounter with beauty, fragility and renewal. This archival selection traces the work from its construction in the studio to its later presentation in London.

Archive note: The sculpture is recorded under its year of creation, 2011; the exact completion date is not documented.

The Making

The sculpture’s scale is built through repeated, intimate acts of craft. Each flower contributes its own shape and texture to the larger form. The studio photographs and archival film reveal the gradual accumulation of these elements, and the handwork behind the finished surface.

Harvey Nichols, London — 2013

Leather Skull later became a centrepiece of Tsai’s presentation at Harvey Nichols in July 2013. Seen within the London store, the sculpture brought the floral skull out of the studio and into a public setting, allowing visitors to encounter both its imposing scale and the delicate construction of its surface.