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First major solo exhibition in the US for artist Daniel Arsham. Discover his time travel project with his fictional archeology concept.
Here is a look at” Daniel Arsham Wherever You Go, There You Are.”
Back to the Future
This exhibit showcases 45 artworks over the last twenty years related to fictional archeology. Artist Daniel Arsham explores everyday past and present cultural objects and how they might look forward. On display, there is a wide combination of his creations: sculptures, paintings, automobiles, fashions, and diverse collaborations from Pokémon to Dior.
The no-yet-future artifacts are marked by geological erosion. It’s a combination of quartz, pyrite, volcanic ash, and sand. The artist doesn’t alter the color of the material, which explains the monochrome spectrum of his artwork.
Daniel Arsham questions history, perceptions, space, and representations.
“I’m taking works from 2,000 years ago from the Roman era and mixing them with Pokémon. In some ways, if you think about it, the distance in creation is about 2,000 years. If we traveled 5,000 years from now, those two things are very close together in time actually. Part of it is about understanding with the perspective of time, the way that we interpret history is very different. These ancient Greek and Roman works were kind of the pop-cultural elements of that era, the same way that Pikachu or Pokémon could be today.”
About the artist
Born in Cleveland in 1980, and raised in Miami, Daniel Arsham graduated in 2003 from The Cooper Union (New York). His artwork has been showcased even before his graduation. At 24 years old, he collaborated with choreographer Merce Cunningham’s Dance Company. He developed his design by learning and experiencing different disciplines like architecture, fashion, and film.
His artistic influence extends to the marketable world. In the last few years, he multiplied collaboration with brands like Dior, Tiffany & Co, Porsche, Adidas, Pokémon, and became Cleveland Cavaliers’ creative director in 2020 (NBA team).
He stated that “My feeling was, the company may be using the work to achieve their objectives, but I’m using them for this massive reach that they have to bring my work to people in places where there aren’t art museums; to audiences that maybe didn’t grow up in an environment where art was important or they just were not exposed to it.”
Highlights
Pokémon
Daniel Arsham x Pokémon collaboration started in 2020. It results in various projects from exhibits in Japan, to a clothing collection for UNIQLO, and an animated short film!
The 1981 DeLorean
Modeled after the 1981 DeLorean, the life-size time-travel car is the perfect relic for Daniel’s fictional archeology. The movie was part of his youth, and he was interested to revisit the cultural influence of the movie alongside its “failed projection of the future.” [Source: Daniel Arsham for W Magazine, by Diane Solway, 09/08/2018]
Source: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/daniel-arsham-artist-exhibition-perrotin-cars
Article based on my visit in April 2023
Ready to explore the future?
Plan your visit:
- Exhibit on view from February 14, 2023 – June 4, 2023
- Location: Orange County Museum of Art, 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
- Hours: 10:00 am-6:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday; 10:00 am-8:00 pm Thursday-Saturday; closed on Monday.
- Admission: Free
- Duration: I spent 1 hour discovering it.
- Parking: paid lot parking ($1.75 every 15 minutes)
- More information is available at https://ocma.art/exhibitions/daniel-arsham-wherever-you-go-there-you-are/
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