Derek Weisberg Returns For His Solo Debut With New Sculptural Works There Are Two of Me Now

1xRun Thru Interview
There Are Two of Me Now by Derek Weisberg

1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece.
Derek Weisberg: This is the first time I have created a piece intended to be reproduced in multiples.  Normally my works are one of a kind and hand sculpted, no use of molds or duplicating processes.  In this case, the original sculpture no longer exists, but the multiples do.  I have several other sculptures similar in scale and format, but aesthetically very different which are available if someone were to show interest.

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1xRun: Was this piece part of a recent theme, series or show that you had? If so how did it fit into that given grouping?
Derek Weisberg: This piece was one of the last pieces I made in what is now my older aesthetic.  It was a continuation of a 10 plus year pursuit of naturalism, and stylized emotional representation.  These pieces probably represent the last attempt at that type of expression.

1xRun: What materials were used to create these sculptures with?
Derek Weisberg: Hand tinted plaster and acrylic finish.

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1xRun: When were these pieces created?
Derek Weisberg: I created these back in 2013. From the start I hand sculpting the initial figure to casting the 8 pieces, to sanding and grinding the surface to finishing them with a protective acrylic finish, the project took close to 4 months.

1xRun: Anything immediate you would like us to highlight?
Derek Weisberg: It is a completely unique opportunity to get one of my sculptures.  And all though these pieces were made in a mold and are essentially the same, each piece is a one of a kind with slight differences.  The 4 multicolored pieces are each made with multiple pours of hand-tinted plaster.

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1xRun: What is unique about this series?
Derek Weisberg: This project is unique in several ways.  One way is that I have never made multiples of my sculpture before.  Additionally I don’t normally work in plaster.  I applied a lot of ceramic processes to the material of plaster.  This project is also unique because there are very few sculptures created in multiple.  The closest thing to compare is vinyl toys, but I stress that these pieces are nothing like vinyl toys.

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1xRun: Why should people buy these pieces?
Derek Weisberg: People should buy this project because it is an undertaking that is rarely seen or offered, multiples of sculpture are not frequent.  This project is a first and maybe a last for me, and my studio practice.  Additionally, people should buy this piece because it is a unique opportunity to get one of my sculptures at a very affordable price.

1xRun: Describe this series in one gut reaction word.
Derek Weisberg: Serene.

derek-wiesberg-multi-colored-sculptures-blog

1xRun: You’ve been working as a sculptor for quite some time, but fall into working with urban contemporary galleries, how has your work been received by the viewer when exhibited?
Derek Weisberg: I grew up in the bay area and grew up listening to Hip Hop, so I was super influenced by the music and culture; graffiti and all the street artists. Barry Mcgee and the other “mission school” and “low brow” artists who were located in or showed a lot in the Bay where also a big influence. I was drawn to that kind of work and culture and wanted to transfer the same ideas to sculpture, which I didn’t see happening much or at all. I think in any movement there are artists who translate the ideas and aesthetic of the time into 3-dimension, I was attempting to do that. In terms of the response, I think sculpture versus painting is harder for the viewer to digest, or want to buy in general. However I think it provided them with a more unique viewing experience, because it is different.

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1xRun: There seems to be a theme with your visual vocabulary, can you elaborate on the style and worlds the characters you create dwell in?
Derek Weisberg: I have focused on creating works, which deal with human emotion and conditions, primarily dysfunction, fragility, vulnerability, and the finite nature of living beings. The physical features of the figures are sculpted to exaggerate and express those universal experiences, and feelings. I very much think of my sculptures inhabiting earth, they are you and I, our neighbors, co-workers, friends. I have tried to create a universal figure, which is a representation of all of us.

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1xRun: You made the move from San Francisco to New York City a few years back, how has this transition shaped your current body of work?
Derek Weisberg: To me New York is a larger, more dynamic, constantly changing place then San Francisco, and it has given me a chance to see and experience so much more. The move has also allowed me to in a sense break from my past, my home, my habits, and in a way reconsider what I am doing. The new environment has allowed me to focus on new ideas and modes of working, which I don’t know I would have been able to do if I never left the Bay.

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1xRun: This was the first time you set out to create a multiple of your work, tell us about the challenge and why the process was rewarding.
Derek Weisberg: I am a big fan and believer in DIY and in figuring things out on your own. So, although I have made molds before I am not a mold maker, and this was a small challenge. There was also the shift in material from ceramic to plaster. In addition a major concern was that I did not want these piece to look or read as toys. I wanted them to maintain their sculptural quality and read as that more then anything. I needed to create a work that wasn’t so polished and clean. I used a lot of traditional processes and modes of working which I have learned in ceramics and applied them to using the plaster and molds. By thinking in these ways and, proceeding as such it also allowed each piece to retain a unique one of a kind aspect. I think the results of the project met the challenges and mindset and ultimately I think I succeeded in creating a small run of interesting sculptural multiples.

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1xRun: What was your first piece?
Derek Weisberg: My first ceramic sculpture was a self-portrait, created at 6 years old.

1xRun: There seems to be a theme with your visual vocabulary, can you elaborate on the style and worlds the characters you create dwell in?
Derek Weisberg: I have focused on creating works, which deal with human emotion and conditions, primarily dysfunction, fragility, vulnerability, and the finite nature of living beings. The physical features of the figures are sculpted to exaggerate and express those universal experiences, and feelings. I very much think of my sculptures inhabiting earth, they are you and I, our neighbors, co-workers, friends. I have tried to create a universal figure, which is a representation of all of us.

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1xRun: What artists inspired you early on?
Derek Weisberg: A super abbreviated list: Stephen Desteabler, Barry Mcgee, Os Gemeos and other “mission school or low brow” artists, Jackson Pollack, Egon Schiele, Giacometti.

1xRun: What artists inspire you now?
Derek Weisberg: Another super abbreviated list: Stephen Desteabler, Leonard Baskin, Jose Parla, Cy Twombly, Mathew Monahan, Nicole Eisenman, Frank Auerbach, Neo Rauch, Lucien Shaprio, Brett Amory.

jose-parla

1xRun: Do you listen to music while you work? If so what?
Derek Weisberg: I try to listen to Democracy Now in the morning to stay informed about the world. Then the rest of the day is all music, 90% hip hop.

1xRun: If you could collaborate with any living artist who would it be and why?
Derek Weisberg: Tough question, there are so many amazing artists working around the world today I don’t know if I could pick one.  It would have to be someone who is not a sculptor and the project would have to be incredibly ambitious and incorporate multiple mediums and practices.

1xRun: If you could collaborate with any deceased artists who would it be and why?
Derek Weisberg: Also a tough question. Maybe Caravaggio because he was a super bad ass  or Van Gogh because he was so zealously passionate.  Brancussi would be cool because he changed the perception of sculpture, maybe Cy Twombly, because I love his mystical beautiful narratives.

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1xRun: What was the first piece of art that you bought? Do you still have it?
Derek Weisberg: The first piece of art I bought was a small painting by David Choe. He was selling 2 or 3 pieces for $80 to anyone under 23 or something like that. This was 2005 so I was 22, so hell yeah I bought one and hell yeah I still have it!

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1xRun: What was the last piece of art that you bought?
Derek Weisberg: I guess my last tattoo which was a phoenix by Joseph Aloi aka JK5

1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Derek Weisberg: WebsiteInstagramTwitter

-1xRUN