|
Born Canada, 1974. Lives and works in Brooklyn, NY Solo Exhibitions: 2003 Galerie Optica, Montreal; 'Sarah Altmejd', Galerie SKOL, Montreal 2002 'Clear Structures for a New Generation', Ten in One Gallery, New York 1999 'Mod les d'esprit et jardins int'rieurs', Galerie B-312, Montreal 1998 'Jennifer', Galerie Clark, Montreal; 'Table nû2', Galerie SKOL, Montreal Group Exhibitions: 2003 'Material Eyes', LFL Gallery, New York; 8th Istanbul Biennial, Istanbul; 'D'touenements', Maison de la Culture Cte-des-Neiges, Montreal; 'Corporate Profits vs. Labor Costs', D'Amelio Terras Gallery, New York; 'LIFE/LIKE', Apartment 5BE Gallery, New York; 2002 'Point de chute', Centre d'Art Contemporain, Brussels; 'Demonclownmonkey', Artist Space, New York 2001 'Interval', Sculpture Center, New York; 'How I learned to stop worrying and love the recession', Ten in One Gallery, New York; 'Point de chute', Galerie de l'UQAM, Montreal 1998 'Stimuli', Maison de la culture Frontenac, Montreal; 'Artifice 98', Saidye Bronfman Art Center, Montreal; 'Les Bricolos', Galerie Clark, Montreal |
Bibliography 2002 Johnson, Ken, 'Demonclownmonkey', New York Times; Saltz, Jerry, 'Something Else', Village Voice; Smith, Roberta, 'Clear Structures for a New Generation', New York Times 2001 Ninacs, Anne-Marie, Point de chute, Montreal, Galerie de l'UQAM 1999 Crevier, Lyne, 'Perles du diable', Ici; Mavrikakis, Nicolas, 'Perle rare', Voir |
David Altmejd |
|
|
David Altmejd's grotesque sculptures, usually of heads or other fragments of monster bodies, directly engage the repressed underside of our imagination. He looks past the imagery of B-movie horror clich's to a morbid, Victorian-era definition of the heinous (typified by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein); he conjures implausible sculptures into being as if channeling spirits through the Ouija board. When peering closely at the details of Altmejd's decapitated and decaying hand-crafted heads, it is difficult to shake the uncanny sensation that the werewolf eye may blink open at any moment, springing to life like Dr. Frankenstein's monster. Yet the intensely appealing layer of crystals, glitter, rhinestones, jewelry, and other materials that seem to sprout organically from the plaster sculptures defers the horror of beholding such objects. Altmejd understands that the process of decay carries within it the promise of growth; his objects arrest the moment where the former transforms into the latter. The sculptures are often integrated with pedestals that recall mid-century furniture or modernist sculptures. They present horizontal surfaces at different heights, often have mirrored elements, and, importantly, allow for a theatricalized placement of the heads. Altmejd frequently carves box-like tunnels out of these structures, placing a head in a form-fitting hall of mirrors that distorts perception and calls to mind Robert Smithson use of the material and exploration of entropy. Yet unlike in Smithson's work, Altmejd's structures seem sound (his 2002 solo exhibition was titled 'Clear Structures for a New Generation.') It is the body that inevitably decays. Several of Altmejd's most recent works attach the werewolf heads to bodies. For an installation at the Istanbul Biennial, the mirrored boxes were not only carved out of the pedestal, but also from the body itself, exposing bones that traverse Altmejd's otherwise empty mirrored cubes. Like a mad scientist, having brought these unnatural creatures into being, Altmejd is now meticulously picking them apart. Brian Sholis |
|