Stick Licker is a freestanding sculpture depicting a muscular classical figure holding a long, gnarled golden branch — and licking it, with complete conviction. The figure stands atop a cluster of organic flowers in pale cream and blush pink, their soft forms a deliberate counterpoint to the heroic physique above.
The work belongs to Teemu Salonen's ongoing sculptural practice, where classical references collide with deadpan humour and decorative excess. The same figure appears across several works in the series, each time caught in a new act of quiet transgression.
Rendered in warm naturalistic tones with a luminous finish, the sculpture shifts in character depending on the angle — commanding and monumental from a distance, absurd and intimate up close.
