The Lobsterman
Scotsman Philip Colbert has been nicknamed “Andy Warhol’s godson”. His best-known works, the cartoon lobsters, come to life in all shapes and materials and are conquering museums and art institutions internationally.
Art can affect us in many different ways; whether it touches us on an aesthetic-formal level or on an emotional level, its task is to leave a mark. This is the case with the artist Philip Colbert 's floating giant lobster on the Grand Canal in Venice in 2022 during the Biennale ; perhaps it is a bit like the principle by which Duchamp chose a toilet, Manzoni a tin box or Warhol a supermarket soup . Because it must be remembered that art in the age of the digital image must, to quote Mersch, "appear, present, circumscribe, arrange, represent, contrast, differentiate, show, bear witness to and document" . And the use of seemingly anonymous objects or subjects makes art more accessible, popular and democratic. The Lobster Man, with its bright red cartoon lobsters, manages to define clear and surreal images, in specific cultural contexts, guaranteeing the viewer childlike fun. His works have been exhibited in many major museums: Hunan Provincial Museum (China), Sejong Center for the Performing Arts (Seoul), Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai), Saatchi Gallery and Tate Modern (London), Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam) and in Italy at the MANN in Naples, with a monograph following a first public installation in the city, "The Lobster House".
L'OFFICIEL : Let's start with MANN in Naples. How did the exhibition “The House of Lobster” come about?
PHILIP COLBERT: My creative persona is a cartoon lobster. I have always been interested in lobsters depicted in art history – they are a symbol of mortality, because of their red colour, even if they are depicted alive. A kind of living dead . Years ago I saw a picture of a mosaic from Pompeii depicting a marine scene with an octopus and a primitive lobster intertwined. I think it is one of the first masterpieces with a lobster as the protagonist, and it was enlightening for me . Last year, during a trip to Naples, I visited the MANN and was so struck by the fresco of Alexander the Great that I wanted to have my own exhibition there.
L'O: You are passionate about ancient art and Italy is a country with a rich cultural heritage. Is there any artist or symbol that has particularly influenced you ?
PC: I was struck by the Pantheon. When I first saw it I thought it was a spaceship that landed in the Middle Ages or in ancient Rome. Then there is De Chirico, in his paintings it is like living among the ruins of the past. From his work I took all the ruined architectural elements that I add to my more pop works. Finally Canaletto, my installation in Venice in 2022, a 20-meter floating lobster on a box of goods, was an interpretation of his work.
L'O: When was the first lobster born?
PC: The first ones were just doodles (sketches), I was in my twenties. The doodles turned into drawings and eventually into a kind of personal signature . Then, little by little, I started with lobster-coloured dresses, I also got married in a custom red dress with small stylised crustaceans. Then people started calling me “The Lobsterman”. When I did a self-portrait in 2016, I ended up drawing a lobster again, which was followed in 2017 by my first major exhibition with the same main character, in which I was definitely reflected. It was and is my creative and artistic version, when I look in the mirror I am flesh, but I am also the language I built. I went from having a symbol to being that symbol .
L'O: An alter ego?
PC: Yes, I guess I created it abstractly, an avatar that became my true artistic personality.
L'O: Speaking of avatars, technology, science and AI are significantly influencing the art market…
PC: Technology has been very transformative in what art can be and is today. Digital media has influenced the aesthetics, philosophy and the very meaning of art. For years I have been building a metaverse called Lobsterópolis, born as a digital gallery. Now it is much more, it allows me to create unique artistic experiences in which the viewer can also interact directly. It is as if art became pop music: NFT ( non-fungible token ) releases are created, put online, sold and a community is created. The last time mine sold out in five minutes, it was almost 8 thousand, a bit like releasing a music album. This constant progress leads me to set fewer and fewer limits: I am about to launch a scientific research project on lobster, in which thanks to a camera system it will be possible to follow processes and experiments directly from home. The mix of art, science and digital space are my fertile ground for experimentation.
L'O: That said, the general public is still loyal to exhibitions and museums, seeing digital art as a second-class category. What do you think about that?
PC: Art is like a cake. Digital art is just one slice of the cake. There are those who like it and those who don't. There are those who buy a painting and hang it in their house and those who buy a media file and play the work on television. The good thing about the NFT market is that it has given commerciality to digital art, making it more relevant. Today artists have the opportunity to explore all possible ideas and worlds to the point of transcending metaphysical boundaries.
L'O: How do you live your universes as an artist?
PC: I believe a lot in art and its ability to reinvent the world; an artist can visually implant his own universe in reality and redefine a world within the world , even in an instant. Some have done this excellently: Niki de Saint Phalle, with the Capalbio Tarot Garden, created an ambitious microcosm of fantasy buildings and sculptures. Keith Haring transformed everything he touched into art , whether he was locked up at home or free on the street.
L'O: Your works are colourful, super-pop and fun, accessible and appreciated by a very wide audience, including children. Are you interested in this aspect?
PC: Children have an extraordinary artistic spirit and they identify their sense of individuality, expression, wonder, optimism and beauty with the very act of creation. It is a great power and I really like the idea that my work can also interact with them, also thanks to its childlike aspect, and inspire them in some way. On the other hand, it is rich in symbolism, linguistic games and references that I hope adults and professionals in the sector can understand and appreciate.
L'O: Any other projects?
PC: At the end of 2023, the collaboration with the Roma football team was renewed, with a capsule of two shirts, a sweatshirt and a toy. Working with AS Roma was fun: I had the chance to bring one of my giant lobsters to the Olympic Stadium, customize the players' shirts and all the devices, I created videos for the stadium screens, effectively devising a large-scale artistic performance involving an audience of 70 thousand people. This is what art can do.
IT: In a parallel life, what would you be?
PC: When I was a child I wanted to be an archaeologist. I still have this great passion for history and its artefacts . The exhibition at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples was a confirmation. Archaeology allows us to redefine the future by discovering the past, but also to imagine and fantasise about ancient civilisations, myths and legends. My other wish was to be a farmer, because I love nature, but I don't think I would have been a good farmer.
