HISTORY IN THE MAKING
A chat with US artist Daniel Arsham during his recent trip to Singapore to launch his latest exhibition “#YesterdaysFutures” at Espace Louis Vuitton.
What was your inspiration for “#YesterdaysFutures”? This show is comprised of the paintings I made of Easter Island. My experience on this island yielded a number of works that I had been making the last two years and they all have a lot to do with a fictional archaeology. Why choose Espace Louis Vuitton as the venue for your exhibit?
I find the space quite beautiful. What has been your favourite collaboration? I have been fortunate to have collaborated with a number of individuals such as Merce Cunningham [choreographer], whom I worked with for a number of years before his death in 2009. He had a profound impact on my practice. I have worked with and been inspired by the Theatre Director Robert Wilson and the producer Pharrell Williams, who comes at things from a completely different angle. Currently I am working on a short film that’s being scored by Swizz Beatz. I try to collaborate with people who come from different disciplines, from music to theatre to dance to film. Where do you like to sit and draw your initial sketches? Most of the painting that I do in the studio is all on a wall. The smaller works are done on my desk. Much of the work I do is from photographs and then I create something that’s a fiction. What’s your favourite moment in the artistic process?
Usually when a work is complete. Which piece of art are you most proud of? I’m always proud of the last work that was finished. You work in many different mediums—what’s the one item you can’t live without? Probably the tool that I use most for documentation and for initial editing —actually my phone. Before that it was a camera. You worked with the students at SOTA on “#YesterdaysFutures” (Part II). What did the students bring to the collaboration that you weren't expecting? Many of them followed me on Instagram and saw a lot of the other work that I was doing. The pieces were cast in various geological materials such as volcanic ash and crystal. They incorporated some of the ideas from my other work and brought it into the collaboration I was doing with them. What do you find most surprising about Singapore? I would say the most surprising thing to me about Singapore is the architecture. The entire city to me feels like some version of the future. Tell us about your most
recent work. I’m premiered a film called
Future Relic 01 at Art Basel, Miami Beach. I have always wanted to work in film, but it’s a medium that demands a huge amount of time. I had some great collaborators like Richard Chai, the KoreanAmerican designer, who did the costumes for the film, and Swizz Beatz did the music score. You can go to www.oh-wow.com or www.danielarsham.com to find out more. “#YesterdaysFutures (Part 1)” will be at Espace Louis Vuitton Singapore through March 2014