I work between my heartbeat. I have one-and-a-half seconds to actually move. And at the same time I have to watch I donโt inhale my own work.
Willard WiganAs a kid, I lived in a fantasy world. I used to believe ants could talk. Not once did they say thank you.
Willard WiganWhen I was a kid, I had trouble at school because of my learning disabilities. Carving is my body compensating for the lack of other skills.
Willard WiganAt home, when the heating pipes made noises, I imagined a tiny person was in there skipping with a rope. The fantasy world of tiny things became my escape.
Willard WiganI became obsessed with making more and more tiny things. I think I was trying to find a way of compensating for my embarrassment at having learning difficulties: people had made me feel small so I wanted to show them how significant 'small' could be.
Willard WiganWhen I first heard that Barack Obama was going to be the first black president, I wanted to do the smallest, biggest tribute in history.
Willard WiganI started making houses for ants because I thought they needed somewhere to live. Then I made them shoes and hats. It was a fantasy world I escaped to where my dyslexia didn't hold me back and my teachers couldn't criticize me. That's how my career as a micro-sculptor began.
Willard WiganAt school I'd want to be so small that nobody could see me, and so my work depicts and reflects me - what it felt like to grow up in a world of pain.
Willard Wigan