Tom Sachs
Post-consumer bricolage
"I make no distinction between a cathedral, a sculpture, a painting, a performance or a pair of sneakers. They’re all art to me. It’s all the same approach. They hold the same values of transparency."
For Tom Sachs, the beauty of an object is in the imperfections. The sturdy, DIY aesthetic of his artworks is a counterbalance to the clean, minimal lines of modern consumer products – a stand against inbuilt obsolescence. Sachs works alongside a team in his New York City studio to create large-scale sculptures and installations. They use a huge range of materials, from duct tape and wood to ‘readymade’ objects like lamps and umbrellas. The way the art has been built is always apparent. Screws visible. Glue drips exposed.
Sachs’ art celebrates what’s possible when his team comes together. In 200...
For Tom Sachs, the beauty of an object is in the imperfections. The sturdy, DIY aesthetic of his artworks is a counterbalance to the clean, minimal lines of modern consumer products – a stand against inbuilt obsolescence. Sachs works alongside a team in his New York City studio to create large-scale sculptures and installations. They use a huge range of materials, from duct tape and wood to ‘readymade’ objects like lamps and umbrellas. The way the art has been built is always apparent. Screws visible. Glue drips exposed.
Sachs’ art celebrates what’s possible when his team comes together. In 2007, they staged a mock space mission to the moon from Gagosian in Beverly Hills. Then, in 2012, they headed to Mars from the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. The 55,000 square foot space was filled with plywood sculptures, a nostalgic mission control desk and an array of found objects. “We’re not going to Mars because we fucked up Earth and are looking for a new home, we’re going to better understand our resources here on Earth,” Sachs explains. In line with his overarching take on consumerism and technology, the hand-made quality of each element brings a human touch to the futuristic ideals of space flight.
Tom Sachs (he/him) was born 1966 in New York, United States, where he continues to live and work.
Sachs riffs on high-tech consumer culture in an ever-growing repertoire of materials and formats – from sculpture and installation to apparel and NFTs. All of his experiments are anchored to a ‘bricolage’ approach to making art.
Sachs Studio, referred to as a Teaching Hospital, is where he creates work alongside his team. It's important to Sachs that the process is driven by a love for making things, together.
Collaborations with Tom Sachs
Exclusively on Avant Arte
- Too Darn Hot
The thing about faith is that it's for the faithful. It only works if you believe in it.
