Walking through Brunnier Art Museum has taken on a different perspective. Humans stand motionless – their glistening eyes unblinking, their chests still and without breath, their hair gently moving with the breeze of a passer-by.

With the light shining against the sheen of what appears to be skin, Mark Sijan’s sculptures capture life on the verge of movement. Brunnier is presenting “Ultra-Realistic Sculptures, 2nd Edition” from Dec. 1 to Feb. 10.

Dana Michels, curator of University Museums, said that the 11 sculptures in the exhibition are part of a four-year tour that has set records for attendance at every show they’ve appeared in. Sijan has had 40 one-person shows in North America.

“We wanted something that was of interest to all types of people. We are hoping the exhibit will bring in people that have never come to the museum,” Michels said.

The museum staff opened the exhibit in a private donors’ preview Tuesday night to exclamations over the realistic nature of the sculptures.

The preview gave a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into opening an exhibition, as well as the opportunity to see Sijan’s sculptures at the same time the museum staff received their first peek.

“They are something else – so realistic,” said John Pace, an attendee of the preview. “It’s almost scary. I wouldn’t come here at night by myself.”

Michels said that Sijan’s work is inspired by Michaelangelo’s “David,” and that he can spend as long as six months working on each sculpture. Michels also said that up to 25 coats of paint are used to create a realistic skin tone, because skin texture and tones differ from people’s faces to their throats and down to their feet.

Sijan’s intense attention to detail produces sculptures with veins seemingly just under the skin. Pores, blemishes and wrinkles texture every visible aspect of the sculptures, as well as eyelashes, body hair and any other imperfection that creates the uniqueness of each human.

“I’m trying to figure out who’s alive and who’s not,” said George Christensen, another preview attendee.

Michels expects a favorite of the exhibition to be Sijan’s basketball player, standing 6 feet 9 inches tall.

Rachel Hampton, communications specialist for University Museums, agrees.

“The basketball player is my favorite because of the position the sculpture is standing in, the position of his body and the way the ball is balanced against his hip,” Hampton said. “The details intrigue me – how the body glistens just right and the shirt is sweat-stained.”

One of Sijan’s most popular figures is the security guard, which has received many reactions from patrons. Michels said that at other exhibitions, the security guard, whose name is Art, has caused people to ask questions regarding directions while others grab their children and chide them to behave as they walk past.

“His name is a proclamation,” said Anita Beal, who was in attendance for the preview. “The artist has made his declaration in that word.”

With veins visible beneath his thinning skin, folds along his knuckles, wrinkles crinkling around his eyes and a hearing aid in his ear, Art indeed looks real.

“At the Milwaukee Bucks’ training offices, Michael Jordan approached Sijan’s security guard, which was on exhibit there,” Michels said. “He was asking for directions and got angry because he thought the security guard was ignoring him.”

Sijan will be at Brunnier for an informal gathering beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday. Sijan will also present a formal lecture at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Both presentations and the exhibition are at Brunnier and are free to the public.

“We hope people are as amazed as we are,” Hampton said. “The attention to detail, the pores in the skin – it’s amazing that an artist is capable of replicating a human body to this degree.”

The only challenge is walking around trying to decipher who is real and who is a sculpture.