David Altmejd

David Altmejd Sculptor © Xavier Hufkens

‘A perfect object for me is something that is extremely seductive and extremely repulsive at the same time.’

Name: David Altmejd

Bron: Canada, 1974

ARTZUID edition(s): ARTZUID 2019

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About David Altmejd

David Altmejd is a Canadian sculptor; he lives and works in the United States. Altmejd studied visual arts at the Université du Québec à Montréal, where he majored in drawing, painting and sculpting in 1988. He was fascinated by biology and science-fiction and moved to New York where he obtained his masters at Columbia University. Altmejd represented Canada at the 52nd Biennale of Venice in 2007 with his installation The Index. He also participated in the Istanbul and Whitney biennales in 2003 and 2004.

His first solo exhibition was at the SKOL Gallery in Montreal. Altmejd has always been captivated by complexity as form. Decay exists in balance with regeneration, the exquisite in combination with the grotesque.

David Altmejd’s work is a unique and intoxicating mix of science and magic, science-fiction and gothic romance: a post-apocalyptic vision which is at the same time optimistic with the potential of regeneration, evolution and invention.

Altmejd makes sculptures that extend the boundaries of figurative representation, he enters abstract territory that goes beyond the recognisable. His work is inspired by the human form- in his vision not just a body but a mind, imagination and soul. Altmejd’s repertoire includes an eclectic mix of elements. For example, the work Man 2 is composed of optical fibre, epoxy clay, wood, bird feathers, artificial hair, quartz, parquet, clothing (trousers, jacket, shirt, shoes), resin, metal wire, acrylic and latex paint, glass eyes, a plastic bag and coconuts.

David Altmejd’s work was shown at the Guggenheim (New York, 2010), the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, 2010), the MOCA Cleveland (2012), the Musée d’Art Moderne (Paris, 2015) and the Museum of Fine Arts (Brussels, 2016).

Artworks at ARTZUID