Christian Holstad

Linked by attitude rather than medium or method, American artist Christian Holstad's practice, which encompasses sculpture, installation, performance, photography, collage and textiles, probes received ideas about class, culture, sexuality and society. A keen eye on concepts of high and low informs a body of work that is concerned with the construction and manifestation of social and intimate spaces.

Holstad's practice has explored domestic and subcultural sites, often exploring and calling into question preconceived notions of identity and desire. His first show in New York was inspired by the story of David Phillip Vetter, the 'boy in the bubble' whose rare genetic immune disorder resulted in having to spend most of his short life in isolation in a plastic bubble. In contrast to the bedroom scene staged for that show, Holstad's 2006 installation Leather Beach included references to S&M clubs, tanning salons, and high-end boutiques. An interest in the culture of consumerism and the particularities of the contemporary recessionary moment are explored in an ongoing series of soft sculptures works that reference shopping carts. More recently Holstad has examined religious heritage in a series of reimagined Stations of the Cross (I Confess, 2009) and devotional texts (The Book of Hours, 2013).

In his ongoing series of Eraserhead drawings the artist selectively erases sections of images cut from newspapers and magazines, transforming their meanings in ways that hint at hidden or subtextual layers beneath the surface of received, media-sanctioned culture.

Holstad was born in Anaheim, California in 1972 and lives and works in New York City. He has recently had solo exhibitions at Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York (2013); Massimo De Carlo, Milan (2011); Shmidt & Handrup, Cologne (2010); Daniel Reich Gallery, New York (2009-10); Galleria Civica of Modena (2009) and Galleria national d'arte moderna, Rome (2009). He has also participated in group exhibitions including Hangzhou Triennial of Fiber Art (2013); Paper, Saatchi Gallery, London (2013); Aquatopia, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, touring to Tate St Ives (2013); Graphite, Indianapolis Museum of Art (2013); The Air We Breathe, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2011); Coming After, The Power Plant (2011); Compilation IV, Kunsthalle, Dusseldorf (2009) and Compass in Hand: Selections from the Judith Rothschild Collection, Museum of Modern Art, New York (2009). His work is in the permanent collections of institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and Astrup Fearnley Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo.

Courtesy of Victoria Miro.