Art Space Talk: Chadwick Gibson
Chadwick Gibson was born in 1984 in Lansing, Michigan. Gibson is primarily a sculptor but often dabbles in video and photography. His work varies, but typically deals with human development and behavior. He has exhibited both internationally and nationally, most notably the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, The Skopelos Art Foundation in Skopelos Greece, Elegant Mr. gallery in Chicago, IL, McCormack Gallery in Chelsea, NY, and the James Cohan Gallery in Chelsea, NY. He also participated in a juried conceptual art exhibition hosted on Ebay called Ebayaday. He is the recipient of the Candy Wei International Fund, Arts at Michigan Grant, Irene Bychinsky Bendler Award, and was a recent finalist in the Myartspace.com New York, NY competition. He currently works and resides in Chicago IL.
Untitled, Slinky and Teacups, 3x3x43 in, 2006
Speed of Judgment, Metal, Wood, and Mirrors. 15ft, 2007
BS: You are primarily a sculptor, but you often dabble in video and photography. Is it a challenge to work from one medium to the next? How is your sculpture, video art, and photography linked? Is there a connection?
CG: Actually, I find it a challenge not to work, with many media. I have never understood how a person can only paint or sculpt. I find that majority of my ideas are most properly expressed in sculpture but not limited to it. It usually depends on where my intuition takes me, what’s appropriate for the concept, and always, how much money I have. All of my work is connected in some way. But since I have so many interests it takes a close eye to see the links. 
BS: Chadwick, I've read that your work typically deals with human perception and its affect on the individual and society. Can you go into further detail about the motives-- or philosophy --behind your art?
CG: Well, I am very interested in Human Behavior. I like trying to figure out why people behave in certain ways or situations. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with people’s perceptual habits, specifically ones formed by society. Certain works of mine, attempt to pry these habits loose, and return one, to a more primal state of perception. Sometimes it is more about stepping backwards then forwards.
For example, with my "Time Out Series", I experimented with people’s immediate visual perception. The act of inverting a familiar object is done to temporarily "erase" or hide the objects signifiers or familiar visual attributes. This is not done to change the objects into something different, but rather highlight them for what they are and present them for reconsideration. I am very interested in the cognitive process the viewer undergoes. I like to think of the inverted objects as "visual aids".
Really though, this entire series sprang from curiosity. I just wanted to see if the inside surfaces of these objects were just as fascinating as the outside surfaces. In general, a good portion of my work, is driven by the notion that the most effective way to implement lasting change in ones overall perspective is to start at the foundation. And, like always, all’s fair.
Time Out Series, Tennis Ball, 2007
BS: Tell us about other influences in your work. Where do you draw inspiration from?
CG: I get very inspired in the supermarket and when driving on open roads.
BS: Chadwick, can you tell us about your process? How does your work come into being? What kind of planning goes into your work?
CG: I try to stay away from routines or habits in my process. I know if all my ideas are coming to me while in my studio, or vice versa, than something is wrong. Sometimes my ideas pop up in mid conversation or when I’m pacing around my apartment. But most often, it is when I am not trying. I owe a lot to my instincts and to coincidences.
Online Shopping Cart, Shopping Cart and Photos of Google Checkout Transaction, 2007
BS: What direction will your work take you-- do you plan to continue with the themes you've been exploring? Also, can you go into further detail about why these themes are important to you?
CG: Honestly, right now, I am just taking it one day at a time. Generally I don’t have too strict of an agenda but always have some loose plans. Most recently, I finished building an Online Shopping Cart, while sitting in a computer chair. I attempted to install it at a Meijer Supermarket but was kicked out. Besides that I have been working on two projects that both deal with different aspects of Human Development. One involves a pedophile and the other an action figure. Or, now that I think about it, maybe they involve each other.
BS: Choose one of your works-- tell us about it.
CG: Well, my machine "Speed of Judgment", for me, is the most interesting to talk about. I like to think of it as a secular psychotropic baptismal machine. Or that is one way I think of it. One aspect of the machine, that is currently hard to notice—due to the fact that it is still in progress—is that the machine, when finished, will be a hybrid between an Elevator and Guillotine.
Right now the Elevator buttons are the only sign of this. Eventually an elevator door will be constructed. The combination of the Elevator and Guillotine on the same tracks is very important aspect, to "understanding" the work, or more accurately, my decisions. And the psychological space that an elevator creates is also important. Having a "beheading" or a near-death-out-of-body experience within this context, is the epicenter, and of course, where everything collides. And lastly, its title "Speed of Judgment" is telling.
The whole project began when I read a study about Out-of-Body Experiences, conducted by James Whinnery for the US Air Force. It examined a new line of fighter planes that accelerated so fast, that the g-forces created, sucked the blood out of the pilot’s brains. This occurrence is called G-LOC, and often causes one to have a Near-Death or an Out-of-Body Experience—and sometimes both. When both do occur, they start with the OBE and end with a NDE and are like "two points on a continuum". Also when G-LOC is first induced it creates tunnel vision.
Once the machine is finished, I plan on exhibiting it in as many different places as possible. I’d like to covertly install it in Cinderella’s Castle or maybe donate it to George Bush’s Ranch in Texas. Wherever it will get the most use.
BS: Chadwick, you exhibited at the McCormack Gallery with the winners of the Myartspace.com NY, NY 2007 Competition-- what did you enjoy most about the exhibit? Did you expand your network during the opening reception?
CG: I really enjoyed seeing people play my game Halo Hoop. It was great to see the crowd get so excited and scream and laugh-- and of course, achieve Sainthood. I met many people and caught up with many old friends. I was also informed of a very interesting show in Chelsea that was accepting entries.
BS: Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions? Also, do you have a website?
CG: I just had my work "In Search of a Safety Item: 8/10/06" in a show called "Postcards From The Edge" at the James Cohan Gallery in Chelsea. It opened on November 30th. My website is www.chadwickgibson.com.
BS: In regards to the Internet-- in your opinion how is the Internet empowering artists?
CG: Finally, the Internet and venues like Myartspace are giving artists access to a wider audience. Hopefully, it will help stem some of the negative elitist trends in the contemporary artworld and in turn attract a more mixed crowd.
Untitled, Slinky and Teacups, 3x3x43 in, 2006
Brian Sherwin: Chadwick, can you tell us about your early influences? When did you know that you wanted to pursue art?
Chadwick Gibson: I can’t really recall any particular moment when I knew I wanted to pursue art. I decided to major in art because it was the best option at the time. As for my influences, science had a great impact on me. My curiosities were more satisfied in my grade school science courses than art courses. I loved the freedom that science projects gave me. I remember doing an experiment where I made fake milk using water and baby powder. In the end it didn’t qualify as a science experiment, but I still received credit. I also played a lot of sports and games, which has definitely influenced my work both visually and conceptually.
BS: Where did you study? Also, who were your mentors?
CG: I have attended a total of eight different colleges but studied visual art at only three of them. I studied abroad with Corcoran College of Art and Design and The School of the Art Institute Chicago. I completed my senior thesis at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design. As for my mentors, I have had several, but a few very important ones.
Before attending the University of Michigan, where I spent the majority of my visual art studies, I took creative writing classes at Eastern Michigan University. While there I took some classes with Poet Christine Hume. She was the first professor to make me comfortable with my instincts. I couldn’t have had a better professor for my writing style or personality.
While at the University of Michigan I was fortunate to study under many great artists and professors. Of them, I particularly benefited from working with Dan Price, Nick Tobier, David Chung, Rebekah Modrak, Allen Samuels, Ed Johnston, and Satoru Takahashi.
Satoru Takahashi, of all my art professors, was the most crucial in my development. He was the only person, who I felt, trusted me from the get go, and never stopped. He put himself on the line for me and allowed me to do things that, at times, to many, may have seemed crazy. He encouraged and promoted the building and exhibiting of my Out-of-Body-Near-Death experience machine "Speed of Judgment".
Chadwick Gibson: I can’t really recall any particular moment when I knew I wanted to pursue art. I decided to major in art because it was the best option at the time. As for my influences, science had a great impact on me. My curiosities were more satisfied in my grade school science courses than art courses. I loved the freedom that science projects gave me. I remember doing an experiment where I made fake milk using water and baby powder. In the end it didn’t qualify as a science experiment, but I still received credit. I also played a lot of sports and games, which has definitely influenced my work both visually and conceptually.
BS: Where did you study? Also, who were your mentors?
CG: I have attended a total of eight different colleges but studied visual art at only three of them. I studied abroad with Corcoran College of Art and Design and The School of the Art Institute Chicago. I completed my senior thesis at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design. As for my mentors, I have had several, but a few very important ones.
Before attending the University of Michigan, where I spent the majority of my visual art studies, I took creative writing classes at Eastern Michigan University. While there I took some classes with Poet Christine Hume. She was the first professor to make me comfortable with my instincts. I couldn’t have had a better professor for my writing style or personality.
While at the University of Michigan I was fortunate to study under many great artists and professors. Of them, I particularly benefited from working with Dan Price, Nick Tobier, David Chung, Rebekah Modrak, Allen Samuels, Ed Johnston, and Satoru Takahashi.
Satoru Takahashi, of all my art professors, was the most crucial in my development. He was the only person, who I felt, trusted me from the get go, and never stopped. He put himself on the line for me and allowed me to do things that, at times, to many, may have seemed crazy. He encouraged and promoted the building and exhibiting of my Out-of-Body-Near-Death experience machine "Speed of Judgment".
Speed of Judgment, Metal, Wood, and Mirrors. 15ft, 2007 BS: You are primarily a sculptor, but you often dabble in video and photography. Is it a challenge to work from one medium to the next? How is your sculpture, video art, and photography linked? Is there a connection?
CG: Actually, I find it a challenge not to work, with many media. I have never understood how a person can only paint or sculpt. I find that majority of my ideas are most properly expressed in sculpture but not limited to it. It usually depends on where my intuition takes me, what’s appropriate for the concept, and always, how much money I have. All of my work is connected in some way. But since I have so many interests it takes a close eye to see the links.
Time Out Series, Plunger, 2007
BS: Chadwick, I've read that your work typically deals with human perception and its affect on the individual and society. Can you go into further detail about the motives-- or philosophy --behind your art?
CG: Well, I am very interested in Human Behavior. I like trying to figure out why people behave in certain ways or situations. Recently, I’ve been experimenting with people’s perceptual habits, specifically ones formed by society. Certain works of mine, attempt to pry these habits loose, and return one, to a more primal state of perception. Sometimes it is more about stepping backwards then forwards.
For example, with my "Time Out Series", I experimented with people’s immediate visual perception. The act of inverting a familiar object is done to temporarily "erase" or hide the objects signifiers or familiar visual attributes. This is not done to change the objects into something different, but rather highlight them for what they are and present them for reconsideration. I am very interested in the cognitive process the viewer undergoes. I like to think of the inverted objects as "visual aids".
Really though, this entire series sprang from curiosity. I just wanted to see if the inside surfaces of these objects were just as fascinating as the outside surfaces. In general, a good portion of my work, is driven by the notion that the most effective way to implement lasting change in ones overall perspective is to start at the foundation. And, like always, all’s fair.
Time Out Series, Tennis Ball, 2007BS: Tell us about other influences in your work. Where do you draw inspiration from?
CG: I get very inspired in the supermarket and when driving on open roads.
BS: Chadwick, can you tell us about your process? How does your work come into being? What kind of planning goes into your work?
CG: I try to stay away from routines or habits in my process. I know if all my ideas are coming to me while in my studio, or vice versa, than something is wrong. Sometimes my ideas pop up in mid conversation or when I’m pacing around my apartment. But most often, it is when I am not trying. I owe a lot to my instincts and to coincidences.
Online Shopping Cart, Shopping Cart and Photos of Google Checkout Transaction, 2007BS: What direction will your work take you-- do you plan to continue with the themes you've been exploring? Also, can you go into further detail about why these themes are important to you?
CG: Honestly, right now, I am just taking it one day at a time. Generally I don’t have too strict of an agenda but always have some loose plans. Most recently, I finished building an Online Shopping Cart, while sitting in a computer chair. I attempted to install it at a Meijer Supermarket but was kicked out. Besides that I have been working on two projects that both deal with different aspects of Human Development. One involves a pedophile and the other an action figure. Or, now that I think about it, maybe they involve each other.
BS: Choose one of your works-- tell us about it.
CG: Well, my machine "Speed of Judgment", for me, is the most interesting to talk about. I like to think of it as a secular psychotropic baptismal machine. Or that is one way I think of it. One aspect of the machine, that is currently hard to notice—due to the fact that it is still in progress—is that the machine, when finished, will be a hybrid between an Elevator and Guillotine.
Right now the Elevator buttons are the only sign of this. Eventually an elevator door will be constructed. The combination of the Elevator and Guillotine on the same tracks is very important aspect, to "understanding" the work, or more accurately, my decisions. And the psychological space that an elevator creates is also important. Having a "beheading" or a near-death-out-of-body experience within this context, is the epicenter, and of course, where everything collides. And lastly, its title "Speed of Judgment" is telling.
The whole project began when I read a study about Out-of-Body Experiences, conducted by James Whinnery for the US Air Force. It examined a new line of fighter planes that accelerated so fast, that the g-forces created, sucked the blood out of the pilot’s brains. This occurrence is called G-LOC, and often causes one to have a Near-Death or an Out-of-Body Experience—and sometimes both. When both do occur, they start with the OBE and end with a NDE and are like "two points on a continuum". Also when G-LOC is first induced it creates tunnel vision.
Once the machine is finished, I plan on exhibiting it in as many different places as possible. I’d like to covertly install it in Cinderella’s Castle or maybe donate it to George Bush’s Ranch in Texas. Wherever it will get the most use.
BS: Chadwick, you exhibited at the McCormack Gallery with the winners of the Myartspace.com NY, NY 2007 Competition-- what did you enjoy most about the exhibit? Did you expand your network during the opening reception?
CG: I really enjoyed seeing people play my game Halo Hoop. It was great to see the crowd get so excited and scream and laugh-- and of course, achieve Sainthood. I met many people and caught up with many old friends. I was also informed of a very interesting show in Chelsea that was accepting entries.
BS: Do you have any other upcoming exhibitions? Also, do you have a website?
CG: I just had my work "In Search of a Safety Item: 8/10/06" in a show called "Postcards From The Edge" at the James Cohan Gallery in Chelsea. It opened on November 30th. My website is www.chadwickgibson.com.
BS: In regards to the Internet-- in your opinion how is the Internet empowering artists?
CG: Finally, the Internet and venues like Myartspace are giving artists access to a wider audience. Hopefully, it will help stem some of the negative elitist trends in the contemporary artworld and in turn attract a more mixed crowd.
You can learn more about Chadwick Gibson and his art by visiting his website-- www.chadwickgibson.com. You can also find Chadwick at--www.myartspace.com/chadwickgibson. You can read more of my interviews by visiting the following page-- www.myartspace.com/interviews.
Take care, Stay true,
Brian Sherwin
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