Ron Mueck’s lifelike sculptures are likely to freak to you out, or at the very least require you to rub your eyes to confirm they’re only make believe. And you most definitely would not want to be trapped alone with them in an empty museum after hours in the dark.

Mueck got his start as a puppet builder, most notably for the Jim Hensen Company, building characters for “Fraggle Rock” and “Labyrinth,” but he transitioned to fine art after setting up his own shop creating animatronic props for the advertising business. But the animatronic sculptures he built tended to be hyperrealistic from only a single angle since they were designed to be photographed. Mueck eventually longed to create sculptures that were hyperreaslitc from every angle, and thusly his new career was born.

Mueck achieves his lifelike results by sculpting from silicone (he used to use fiberglass) and implanting real human hair. He sometimes uses models and/or photographs, but always a mirror. He also plays with scale, often creating larger-than-lifesize works, though he occasionally creates 2/3 scale models as well. But no matter the size, all of his subjects are arresting, as if frozen in time for eternity. His subjects are vulnerable and exposed, and frequently naked, leaving viewers uncomfortable in their presence. Its as if you have stumbled onto a very private moment that no one else is permitted to see.

Mueck’s work is on display mostly in Europe (he’s an Australian ex-pat living in England), but he just wrapped up a four month long solo exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. You can also sample more of his work here, here and here.

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