James Biederman
James Biederman creates colorful pigmented objects that play between painting and sculpture.
Using common hardware store construction materials and dry pigments, Biederman makes most of his sculptures in a scale about half that of a human body, creating objects that look like pieces of furniture or other common functional objects. For Biederman, it is important that his artworks surprise: they appear functional but remain non-functional art objects for contemplation; they suggest the manufacturing processes common to furniture and other household items, yet are handmade; they stand stiff, yet are made from flexible materials like burlap and wire. His objects invite the eye’s exploration, with winding lines, enticing openings, and sinewy skeletons. He is influenced by Russian Constructivism, Pre-Colombian Art, German Expressionism, and furniture making, and makes objects that occupy the space between function and dysfunction.
Wilmington, NC
Born 1947, Bronx, NY
1973 MFA Yale School of Art, New Haven, CT
1970 Independent Study Program, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
1969 BA SUNY New Paltz, New Paltz, NY