The term living statue is often used to refer to a type of mime artist who poses like a statue or mannequin, usually with realistic statue-like makeup, sometimes for hours at a time. This is an art that requires a great deal of patience and physical stamina.

Living statue performers have been known to pose as shop window mannequins in order to fool passers by, and a number of hidden camera shows on television have had living statues suddenly spring to life to startle people. As with all performing arts, living statue performers may perform as street performers (buskers) or in commissioned shows.

There is an annual competition for such performers at Arnhem in the Netherlands. Also, the city of Laguna Beach, California is home to the annual Pageant of the Masters show which is created by local amateur volunteers as part of the city's Festival of the Arts. The show presents living statue recreations of several dozen famous artworks in one evening. The show is set to classical music and about two minutes are allocated per artwork.

In science fiction and fantasy the term often has the opposite meaning: humans (or other humanoid creatures such as elves) who are immobilized by technology or magic and sometimes disguised as real statues, often remaining conscious in the process. For example, in Michael Moorcock's fantasy novel The Queen of the Swords , the heroes encounter the Frozen Army that once set out to fight an evil goddess but were turned into living statues instead.