At first glance, you might think it’s just another animal sculpture—majestic, detailed, maybe even a little lifelike. But come closer, and you’ll do a double take. Thousands of strands of galvanized steel, shaped by hand into muscle, motion, and magic. That’s the unmistakable work of Kendra Haste.
For Kendra, animals aren’t just subjects. They’re an obsession. “They’ve fascinated me my whole life,” she says. That lifelong connection turned into a full-time artistic pursuit, where lions, elephants, baboons, and even rhinos become more than just art—they become portraits. Not general interpretations, but specific creatures she’s encountered, studied, and sometimes even followed in the wild.
Raised in the heart of London, surrounded by concrete instead of creatures, Kendra didn’t grow up in the wild. But maybe that’s what sparked the fire. “My attraction to wild animals came from a deep desire to connect with something lost in us,” she explains.
And wire—simple, industrial, unassuming—became her bridge to that connection. Where most see wire as stiff and lifeless, Kendra sees possibility. It behaves like a pencil line, she says, perfect for drawing in space. That’s how she treats it: like sketching in three dimensions. It allows her to capture things like muscle tension, fluid movement, the weight of a trunk, or the alert stillness of a predator watching its prey. Light passes through the mesh, giving her sculptures both mass and air. They’re solid and see-through all at once—just like living creatures that never stand still.
Her sculptures live in some pretty incredible places, too—from the Tower of London (where a ghostly pride of lions guards the gate) to wildlife parks and public spaces around the UK. Each piece tells a quiet story, inviting people to pause, look again, and maybe feel something unexpected.
What makes her work so moving isn’t just the technical skill—it’s the soul she pours into each animal. Whether she’s sketching at a zoo or tracking wildebeests across Tanzania, Kendra is always looking for more than anatomy. “It’s the spirit and energy of the subject that I want to capture,” she says.
And that’s exactly what you feel when standing before her work. Not just awe—but connection.
Kendra Haste doesn’t just make art. She builds a bridge between worlds—between the wild and the urban, the living and the sculpted, the forgotten and the remembered. And wire, of all things, is her chosen language.
Kendra Haste : Website | Instagram
Kendra Haste is a London-based artist who makes incredibly real-looking animal sculptures using just wire. Yep, plain old wire. But in her hands, it becomes something magical.
From lions to elephants, her sculptures feel like they could take a breath and walk off at any moment.
Kendra didn’t grow up around wildlife, but she’s always been drawn to it—so much so that she now travels, sketches, and studies animals up close.
Her goal? Not just to copy how they look, but to capture their energy, their spirit. And honestly, you can feel it in every piece she creates.
What makes Kendra Haste work unique ?
While others use clay or bronze, Kendra “draws” with wire in mid-air. Her sculptures aren’t just about looks—they’ve got soul. You can sense the weight of an elephant, the stillness of a lion watching its prey, or the quiet strength in a gorilla’s frame.
And the best part? These aren’t random animals. Every sculpture she makes is based on one she’s actually seen—either in the wild or up close in a zoo. They’re not just models; they’re portraits. You feel a real connection, like she’s frozen a moment you didn’t even know you needed to see.
She’s somehow found a way to make hard, cold wire feel soft, wild, and full of life. That’s Kendra Haste’s magic.
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