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Lot Essay
"I like the idea that actual meaning comes from matter. I like the idea that matter is intelligent."
- David Altmejd
Presented in the form of a bust of the human figure, Art Student sits at the center of David Altmejd’s exploration of metamorphosis. In this work made of a virtuosic amalgamation of media—including polystyrene, epoxy clay, wood, steel, and synthetic hair—a checkered platform hosts a solitary figure composed of a striking and unexpected fusion of disparate elements. Rendered in a traditional, almost classical manner, the expected harmony of the composition is disrupted by the fact that the face is replaced by what looks like the remains of a hollowed-out piece of fruit. Explaining these seemingly disparate elements, the artist himself states, “I see my installation as organisms… I like the feeling that I’m losing control and I’m not the one making the choices” (D. Altmejd, quoted in L. Déry, David Altmejd, Montréal, 2006, p. 31).
Known for his largescale sculptures of anthropomorphic figures cast in a state of transformation, David Altmejd was trained in art schools of Montreal and New York and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most innovative artists working today. His artistic practice is rooted fundamentally in the aesthetic tensions between the dogmas of Formalism and avatars of Postmodernism. His examination of the pedestal, the ornament, and the sculpted body can be seen as a continuation from the classical artistic tradition, yet at the same time transformative in terms of the way he de-figures the works. Here, in Art Student, one is forced to gaze through the hollow pathway of imagination, experience the combination of humanity and animality, and ultimately reach the romantic state of “livingness.”
- David Altmejd
Presented in the form of a bust of the human figure, Art Student sits at the center of David Altmejd’s exploration of metamorphosis. In this work made of a virtuosic amalgamation of media—including polystyrene, epoxy clay, wood, steel, and synthetic hair—a checkered platform hosts a solitary figure composed of a striking and unexpected fusion of disparate elements. Rendered in a traditional, almost classical manner, the expected harmony of the composition is disrupted by the fact that the face is replaced by what looks like the remains of a hollowed-out piece of fruit. Explaining these seemingly disparate elements, the artist himself states, “I see my installation as organisms… I like the feeling that I’m losing control and I’m not the one making the choices” (D. Altmejd, quoted in L. Déry, David Altmejd, Montréal, 2006, p. 31).
Known for his largescale sculptures of anthropomorphic figures cast in a state of transformation, David Altmejd was trained in art schools of Montreal and New York and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the most innovative artists working today. His artistic practice is rooted fundamentally in the aesthetic tensions between the dogmas of Formalism and avatars of Postmodernism. His examination of the pedestal, the ornament, and the sculpted body can be seen as a continuation from the classical artistic tradition, yet at the same time transformative in terms of the way he de-figures the works. Here, in Art Student, one is forced to gaze through the hollow pathway of imagination, experience the combination of humanity and animality, and ultimately reach the romantic state of “livingness.”