Daniel Arsham is known for shaking up the codes of art. Since his exhibition “Paris 3020” and his collaboration with the fashion house Dior, he is now one of the biggest names in contemporary art. His work and original works have contributed to his fame. Apart from sculpture, Daniel Arsham is also a photographer and director. A multi-faceted artist to discover!

His universe

Daniel Arsham behind the scenes of his exhibition, "Paris, 3020"

© Pete Casta/ Hypebeast France

Born in the late 1980s, he spent a good part of his childhood in Miami. Daniel Arsham will devote himself to photography. At the end of his high school studies, he will join the Cooper Union in New York. It is thanks to his education that he will find the inspiration he needs to create his works.

From 2004, he held a series of experimental exhibitions at The House in Miami. It was during these exhibitions that he met Emmanuel Perrotin. A great meeting, given that the famous gallery will follow him throughout his career.

In 2007, he will begin a long series of collaborations. It will first be with the choreographer Merce Cunningham. This meeting will leave a poetic imprint on the works of the young artist. A year later, he joined forces with designer Alex Mustonen, with whom he founded Snarkitecture. In 2011, when he went to Easter Island, he discovered the Moais, statues with a mysterious history. Captivated by the relief of erosion, he will try to reproduce it in all his works.

In Daniel Arsham's workshop, antique statues rub shoulders with objects that are part of our daily lives. All these objects seem to come from the past. They disturb, mark and astonish the spectator at the same time. All are in immaculate whiteness. Even if from time to time, we see small crystals or snags. We also find this particularity in the works that make up his “Future Relic” collection.

It is from varied materials (rock dust, volcanic ash, marble, sand, rose quartz, etc.) that the American artist explores the erosion of time and the ruins of the future - Daniel Arsham

Daniel Arsham is also known for his ability to interpret references that are shared by everyone. Hence his nickname “the architect of the future”. On his statues, we find an antique aspect with a poetic sweetness. As if we had just discovered them on a Roman archaeological site. To reinforce this antique appearance, the sculptor places marks of time on the ends and angles.

The little extra of this contemporary artist is that he adds crystals. This is what is his trademark. This little extra plunges the viewer into a world that is at once avant-garde, ancient and mysterious. A bit like looking at an antique that is made timeless by Arsham.

View of the exhibition “3020” at Perrotin Paris
Photo: Claire Dorn
© Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin

His collaborations

Despite their apparent simplicity, Daniel Arsham's works are the result of long-term work. He uses this time to do research, in order to obtain the right crystallization technique and find the best material to sculpt. Generally, he works on quartz or volcanic stone. It is in this sense of detail and rigor that many designers and fashion houses have been seduced.

Daniel Arsham's workshop - @Jesse Frohman

He was the first artist to collaborate with the Adidas brand: an elegant and monochrome pair of sneakers in the very image of Daniel Arsham.

In September 2019, he collaborated with the house of Dior for Men's Summer Fashion Week 2020 where he created the scenography of the show and installed sculptures of the letters "Dior" on the stage.

Collaboration by Daniel Arsham and Dior - @Artsy

He also worked with Hajime Sorayama twice and together created iconic works that combine the Japanese's silver-plated robots with the American artist's futuristic relics.

But still...

It was during a stay on Easter Island that he discovered the famous monoliths. He got the idea of ​​molding a film camera from fragments of basalt that he collected on site. All his work is based on one idea, that of representing the past and the present in a timeless work. For him, it is a question of showing us our everyday objects as they will be seen in the future, namely relics.

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He created Snarkitecture, a multidisciplinary agency that combines architecture, design and art. This company is created in collaboration with a friend Alex Mustonen and an architect Ben Porto.

Daniel Arsham is colorblind and this is why his works are monochrome. Even if he sometimes uses color. The artist has a preference for black and white because he has doubts about color associations. He would like the viewer to see the same thing as him.