Arsham-isms

The work of renowned contemporary artist Daniel Arsham blurs the lines between art, architecture, archeology, and design. In his distinctive style, he takes ancient art works and objects from twentieth- century pop culture and casts sculptures of them in geological materials such as quartz or volcanic ash, colliding past, present, and future in haunted yet playful visions that prompt viewers to question their everyday surroundings.

Gathered from interviews and other sources, Arsham-isms is a collection of lively, thought-provoking, and memorable quotations from this exciting young creative talent on a wide range of subjects – including art, architecture, film, design, pop culture, the art world, and what it means to be a globally recognised artist today.

Select quotations from the book

Art needs to be a little dangerous

You don’t have to own the thing to be part of it

This work for me is not about progress. It is about destruction and growth and where they are able to meet in the middle.

Author Biography

Daniel Arsham is a contemporary artist whose work has been shown at major museums and galleries around the world. He is the cofounder of Snarkitecture, a multidisciplinary firm whose work includes an entrance pavilion for Design Miami and a line of functional design objects. His many collaborators include the theater director Robert Wilson, the choreographer Jonah Bokaer, and the musicians Pharrell Williams, Usher, and Nas. He lives in New York City. Instagram and Twitter @DanielArsham Larry Warsh has been active in the art world for more than thirty years as a publisher and artist-collaborator and was a founding member of the Basquiat Authentication Committee until its dissolution in 2012. He is also the editor of Weiwei-isms and Humanity, by Ai Weiwei; Basquiat-isms and The Notebooks, by Jean-Michel Basquiat; and Haring-isms, by Keith Haring (all Princeton).