David Herbert (artist)
Encyclopedia
David Herbert is an American
sculptor. He remakes cultural icons such as Mickey Mouse
, Superman
and a VHS
cassette.
in Seattle and an M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University
in Richmond. He worked initially with video, before changing to sculpture.
One of the highlights of the group show Scarecrow at the Postmasters Gallery
in New York in July 2006, was Herbert's VHS, a giant replica of a videocassete of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The work, made in 2005 from foam, plexiglass and latex paint, measures 50" × 12" × 96" (127 × 30 × 244 cm).
In December 2006, in The Bong Show at the Leslie Tonkonow Gallery in New York, Herbert's Creature from Bong Water Bog, was a "hilarious" green head with scales, twice life-size, open mouth and partially underwater in a glass tank; it "recalls the melodrama of its black-lagoon forebear while the tubular pink plants surrounding it strike a phallic vibe."
In January 2007, his solo show, I (heart) New York, took place at the Postmasters Gallery in New York. The center of the show was a 14 foot (4.2 m) tall sculpture of a decaying Empire State Building
; other iconic structures were shown in more sculptures. Drawings included a depression era speaker and a burning flag with a KKK member.
Herbert was included in Postmaster Gallery's installation at the 2007 Miami Pulse festival; his work Beautiful Superman was described by Artforum
as "an impressively towering sculpture". In 2008, in the show Amerika: Back to the Future at the Postmasters Gallery, he exhibited a foam-core model of the "Starship Enterprise", supported by a wooden framework and with Paleolithic markings all over it, and also a depiction of Mickey Mouse—"retro-primitivist sculptures [which] reconfigure 20th century icons ... as crudely constructed stone-age totems".
In March 2009, his work appeared in the America festival Discover US! in Berlin, which presented 18 contemporary US artists. Herbert used American entertainment icons as a subject, transforming Superman into a skeletal figure of pain and Mickey Mouse into a feeble puppet, pointing to the reality behind the travesty of everyday life.
In June 2008, two works, Beautiful Superman and Western Model, were included in Freedom, the eleventh staging of The Hague Sculpture in The Hague
, focusing that year on sculpture of American artists active since 1958. The exhibition took place in the Lange Voorhout avenue and was opened by the Mayor, Jozias van Aartsen
; the theme of freedom was chosen for its particular association with the United States. Herbert was provided with accommodation and made his work in the Zijderveld studio in liaison with the carpentry workshop. Western Model is an object which fuses a wooden car with a house on top of it; the car is modelled on the Ford Model T
.
His solo show Nostalgia for Infinity took place at the Postmasters Gallery in May 2009, and took as its starting point work by illustrators and animators to make "playful, mixed-media sculptures of architectural and pop cultural monuments in various states of deconstruction and dilapidation." He reconstructed out of chicken wire and spray foam a large version of Ridley Scott's alien
, titled Monarch, showing the alien with a butterfly on its hand and sitting in a rocking chair. He transcribed the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie, in a stop-motion video, Séance for the Symphony, with flatulent sounds in the background and crude cardboard characters, with the result that "The tension between the cartoon and its humble re-creation educes a drama that’s both sad and beautiful."
His pencil on paper drawing Screwj was one of the artworks in an auction by The New Yorker
in 2009 to raise funds for the Friends of the High Line, who aid an elevated railway along the West Side of Manhattan. In December 2009, Don't Flee the Artmarket was a group show at the Postmasters Gallery of nearly 300 works, one of the "quirky highlights" being Herbert's portraits in graphite of a sad lost R2-D2 and C-3PO. Herbert lives and works in New York.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sculptor. He remakes cultural icons such as Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
cassette.
Life and work
David Herbert was born in Seattle, Washington. He gained a B.F.A. from the Cornish College of the ArtsCornish College of the Arts
-Library:The library at Cornish College specializes in art, dance, design, music, performance production, and theatre. As of 2011 it holds 4700 CDs, 40,000 books, has 2,200 videos, and subscribes to 154 periodicals...
in Seattle and an M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
in Richmond. He worked initially with video, before changing to sculpture.
One of the highlights of the group show Scarecrow at the Postmasters Gallery
Postmasters (art gallery)
Postmasters is a contemporary art gallery located on 19th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan owned and directed by Magda Sawon and Tamas Banovich...
in New York in July 2006, was Herbert's VHS, a giant replica of a videocassete of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The work, made in 2005 from foam, plexiglass and latex paint, measures 50" × 12" × 96" (127 × 30 × 244 cm).
In December 2006, in The Bong Show at the Leslie Tonkonow Gallery in New York, Herbert's Creature from Bong Water Bog, was a "hilarious" green head with scales, twice life-size, open mouth and partially underwater in a glass tank; it "recalls the melodrama of its black-lagoon forebear while the tubular pink plants surrounding it strike a phallic vibe."
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
; other iconic structures were shown in more sculptures. Drawings included a depression era speaker and a burning flag with a KKK member.
Herbert was included in Postmaster Gallery's installation at the 2007 Miami Pulse festival; his work Beautiful Superman was described by Artforum
Artforum
Artforum is an international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art.-Publication:The magazine is published ten times a year, September through May, along with an annual summer issue...
as "an impressively towering sculpture". In 2008, in the show Amerika: Back to the Future at the Postmasters Gallery, he exhibited a foam-core model of the "Starship Enterprise", supported by a wooden framework and with Paleolithic markings all over it, and also a depiction of Mickey Mouse—"retro-primitivist sculptures [which] reconfigure 20th century icons ... as crudely constructed stone-age totems".
In March 2009, his work appeared in the America festival Discover US! in Berlin, which presented 18 contemporary US artists. Herbert used American entertainment icons as a subject, transforming Superman into a skeletal figure of pain and Mickey Mouse into a feeble puppet, pointing to the reality behind the travesty of everyday life.
In June 2008, two works, Beautiful Superman and Western Model, were included in Freedom, the eleventh staging of The Hague Sculpture in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, focusing that year on sculpture of American artists active since 1958. The exhibition took place in the Lange Voorhout avenue and was opened by the Mayor, Jozias van Aartsen
Jozias van Aartsen
Jozias Johannes van Aartsen is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Mayor of the Hague since March 27, 2008....
; the theme of freedom was chosen for its particular association with the United States. Herbert was provided with accommodation and made his work in the Zijderveld studio in liaison with the carpentry workshop. Western Model is an object which fuses a wooden car with a house on top of it; the car is modelled on the Ford Model T
Ford Model T
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from September 1908 to May 1927...
.
His solo show Nostalgia for Infinity took place at the Postmasters Gallery in May 2009, and took as its starting point work by illustrators and animators to make "playful, mixed-media sculptures of architectural and pop cultural monuments in various states of deconstruction and dilapidation." He reconstructed out of chicken wire and spray foam a large version of Ridley Scott's alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
, titled Monarch, showing the alien with a butterfly on its hand and sitting in a rocking chair. He transcribed the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie, in a stop-motion video, Séance for the Symphony, with flatulent sounds in the background and crude cardboard characters, with the result that "The tension between the cartoon and its humble re-creation educes a drama that’s both sad and beautiful."
His pencil on paper drawing Screwj was one of the artworks in an auction by The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
in 2009 to raise funds for the Friends of the High Line, who aid an elevated railway along the West Side of Manhattan. In December 2009, Don't Flee the Artmarket was a group show at the Postmasters Gallery of nearly 300 works, one of the "quirky highlights" being Herbert's portraits in graphite of a sad lost R2-D2 and C-3PO. Herbert lives and works in New York.
Selected exhibitions
- 2001: Popcorn 2001, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, Santa Barbara
- 2002: Museum of Past Accomplishments, Woessner Alumni Gallery: Cornish College of The Arts, Seattle
- 2003: MFF Jedna Minua, Poznan, Poland
- 2003: Festival Internacional del Cine Pobre, Gibara, Cuba
- 2004: Killing My Lobster, Hi/lo Film Festival, San Francisco
- 2004: Moving Digital, 1506 Projects, Seattle
- 2005: Under-Lie, Keith Talent Gallery, London
- 2006: I Heart NY, Postmasters NY, New York
- 2006: Pulse Art Fair, Miami
- 2006: New American Talent, Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin
- 2006: The Sleeper Must Awaken, Flat International, Richmond, Vancouver
- 2007: 3D News, Shoshana Wayne Gallery, Los Angeles
Collections
- 21c Museum
- Saatchi GallerySaatchi GalleryThe Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art, opened by Charles Saatchi in 1985 in order to exhibit his collection to the public. It has occupied different premises, first in North London, then the South Bank by the River Thames and currently in Chelsea. Saatchi's collection, and...
- Tacoma Art MuseumTacoma Art MuseumIn May 2003, Tacoma Art Museum opened a new facility twice the size of its previous home, allowing the museum to expand on its vision and mission. American Institute of Architects AIA Gold Medal winner Antoine Predock designed the building located in the heart of Tacoma’s Cultural District...
Further reading
- Feireiss, Lukas and Klanten, Robert, ed. (2009). Beyond Architecture. Imaginative Buildings and Fictional Cities, Berlin: Die Gestalten Verlag. ISBN 3899552350, ISBN 9783899552355.
- Britt, Jaring Durst (2008). "David Herbert" in Freedom: American Sculpture, exhibition catalogue, The Hague: The Hague Sculpture.
- Neiman, Carrie. "In the Studio", Style Weekly, 26 October 2005.