Awareness Post: David Altmejd

The Vessel, 2011

David Altmejd, born 1974, is a contemporary Canadian Sculptor whose work is concerned with the self and explores how it can be created and disintegrated. He has been in multiple solo and two-person exhibitions across Canada, the US, and EuropeHis work explores the boundary of what can be considered a figure, yet always ties back to the human form, although abstracted in many works. With many of his works being based in the tangible and spiritual aspects and interactions of the human body, and how the mind influences the soul. I feel that the disintegration of the figure is taken to its furthers in his large Plexiglas exhibitions such as "The Vessel" featured above. The suspension of various forms provides for a very dream like composition. They feel as almost a minimalistic abstraction of a scene, that still feature recognizable forms. With these large installations appearing very ghostly and almost heavenly due to the materials used, I would love to go see these in person at some point. His use and distortion of the human figure is something I would want to emulate and its really eye opening seeing how for the human figure can be pushed.

One other thing I find really captivating about Altmejd's sculptures is his activation of negative space and how effective it is. The confinement of the negative space is really interesting, as it appears as if there's almost an outline of a hole from some angles, not just empty space. The negative space only adds to the almost ethereal feel of the subjects of his art, with the emptiness almost dehumanizing the sculptures. I feel like his work is a great example of how to do negative space correctly and will be something I am going to study to improve my use and activation of negative space.

The usage of repetition and blending of human and animal features in Altmejd's sculptures is another captivating, though disturbing aspect of his art. I find that the repetitive sculptures really pleasing to look at, looking as though they were copy pasted with an offset. The use of natural and unnatural repetition complements the natural and unnatural elements of his sculptures. Additionally, the use of found object for the hair and clothing in most sculptures adds a sense of depth and realism to the absurd, almost tying it to reality.

The Flux and the Puddle, 2014

I find Altmejd's art really interesting and the sheer variety of subject matter, materials, and types of sculpture to be inspiring. His work in my opinion is a great example of how much variation one can implement into one central theme and how abstract that theme can become. The randomness, yet overall unity is something that makes his art stand out for me and I would like to try and emulate this type amalgamation of conflicting organic forms and subjects in my own art.