Nevine Mahmoud, Lick, 2017

The walls have tongues—at least in the imagination of Nevine Mahmoud. The LA-based sculptor has mastered the art of making hard stone look soft and succulent—whether turning her chisel to warm and fleshy parts of the human body, juicy fruits or pillowy donuts. “I think there’s that translation of hard to soft which speaks very directly to process and your body wanting to interact with it,” Mahmoud told Emily Steer of this tactile juxtaposition for Elephant Issue 34. “You don’t even have to say anything if that translation is already visible… that’s why I like sculpture. It evokes feeling instead of clear thought.”