Robert Chambers
Born 1958, Miami FL. Lives Miami, FL, United States.
Robert Chambers finds himself constantly toying with visual connections between science and art, forcing them into a realm of senselessness and chaos.
Selected Works
Robert Chambers
Introduction
Biography
CV
Introduction
Robert Chambers’s sculptures very often exude a sense of experimental playfulness. The rigidity of science, chemistry, and physics is broken by a desire to re-contextualize empirical research through a sculptor’s vantage point. The final selection of unrelated matter becomes a perplexing hybrid of materials and concepts rooted in laboratory praxis and contemporary art theory. Chambers finds himself constantly toying with visual connections between science and art, forcing them into a realm of senselessness and chaos. This work stimulates viewers into constructing their own understanding of contemporary concerns and questions which may be used as an impetus to encourage associations between disparate entities.
Biography
Robert Chambers (Born 1958 Miami, FL) is known for sculptures that meld science and whimsy. Early stand out exhibitions include one of the first solo shows at SculptureCenter in Queens, NY and the debut of his iconic Rotorelief sculpture in the Positions section of the first edition of Art Basel Miami Beach. Recently, he has departed from his signature heavy and kinetic steel sculptures to experiment with new techniques and materials, including robotics, biomimicry and digital 3D modeling. For this work, his 2018 project at AIRIE Nest in Homestead, FL received support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Chambers has work in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, The Laumeier Sculpture Park, the Kemper Museum, Perez Art Museum Miami, MOCA North Miami, ICA Miami, MOSI and Tufts University. He worked frequently with such patrons and instigators as Marion (“Kippy”) Boulton Stroud and Kenny Schachter. He was an artist in residence at Artist in Residence in the Everglades (AIRIE) in Homestead, FL, Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, PA and the American Academy in Rome. He is an unfailingly generous mentor and producer in Miami’s art community. He led sculpture departments at both the University of Miami and Florida International University. He curated a now historic show called globe>miami< island at the Bass Museum of Art in 2001. Chambers works with students as a mentor artist at the National Young Arts Foundation, based in Miami, FL. Awards include the Nancy Graves Award and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Award. He is originally from Miami and now lives in Coconut Grove, FL.
CV
Born Miami, FL
Lives and works in Miami, FL
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS
2018
AIRIE Nest, Everglades National Park, Ernest Coe Visitors Center, Florida City, FL
2017
IRON OAR, Emerson Dorsch Gallery, Miami, FL
2015
Grill-Art, Kunst Raum Riehen, Basel, Switzerland
2014
Pelt Field, ASAP, Mount.Desert Island, Maine
2011
Adaptive Silo, Projektraum M54. Mörsbergerstrasse 54, Basel, Switzerland
2009
Ribbon Drop on Arch St, Fabric Workshop Museum, Philadelphia, PA
2008
Atomic Dog, Winter Park, Florida
2007
Ten Spools, ASAP, Mount Desert Island, Maine
Vitruvius’s Recliner, Roebling Hall, NYC
2006
Ellipsota (Art in Public Places), Sarasota Herald Tribune, Sarasota FL
2005
Eight Bubbles, ASAP, Mount Desert Island, Maine
2004
Doppler, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL
In Sit U, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MO
2003
Invert, Byron Cohen Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Project Room, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL
2002
Rotorelief, Andrew Kreps Gallery, Art Positions, Art Basel, Miami Beach, FL
2001
New Work Miami, Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL
1999
Skytracker, West Chelsea Arts Building, New York City, New York
1998
Bigma, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, FL
Gretzel Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, VT
Mental Magma, La Torre De Los Vientos, Mexico City, Mexico
Drix Installation, Byron Cohen Gallery for Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO
1997
Drix Installation, Miami, FL
1996
Zon Installation, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, FL
1991
Site – Specific Installation: Sculpture Center, New York, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2018
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2017
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2016
Art on the Green, City of Winter Park, FL
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2015
100+ Degrees in the Shade, Miami, FL
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2014
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2013
Friends and Family, Rove Projects, London, UK
Putti Kiss, Futurists, CAP Project, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami, FL
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2012
Wedding Crashers, Deering Museum, Miami, Flor
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2011
Invitational Exhibition of Visual Arts, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY
Ping Pong, M 54 Basel, Switzerland
2010
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2009
New American Voices, The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, PA
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
2008
Ping Pong, Projektraum M 54 Basel, Switzerland
Ping Pong, Miami, FL
Epitaph Mexico City, Mexico. Curator: Pedro Reyes
Far Side Miami, Florida. Curator: Eugenia Vargas
Impact Drawing, CasaLin, Miami, Florida
Sculpture Key West, Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, FL curator: Mary Ceruti
2007
Fortunate Objects, CIFO, Miami, Florida Curator: Cecilia Fjardo-hill
Art Basel Sagamore Hotel, Miami Beach, FL
Intervention, Ball of Artists, Vizcaya, Miami, FL
A Consuming Vision, Telefair Museum, Savannah, GA
Top Soil, Casa Lin, Miami, Florida
Rediviva, Locust Projects, Miami, Florida
Sculpture Key West, Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, Florida
Who is your DaDa I, Dacra Space, Miami, Florida
Who is your DaDa II, Dacra Space, Miami, Florida
Who is your DaDa III, Dacra Space, Miami, Florida
Confluence, Frederic Snitzer Gallery, Miami, Florida
2006
Trespassing, Casa Lin, Miami, FL
Art Basel Miami Beach, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL
Scope Sculpture, Flamingo Park, Miami Beach, FL
Puppy Love, Luminaire, Miami, FL
Sci-Fi Fermentation-The Impact of Science on the Natural World, Kemper Museum, Kansas City, Missouri
Between Light, Portland University, Portland, Oregon
Triumph of Hope, Casa Lin Space, Miami FL
05-05-05, PS14, Miami, FL
Video, PS14, February 2006, Miami, FL
Sculpture Key West, 2006, Fort Zachary Taylor, Key West, FL.
2005
Destination Works, Pulse Space Art Basel Miami, FL
Co Operate, Moore Space, Miami, FL
MOCA at the Goldman Space, Art Basel, Miami, FL
O, The Games We Play, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL
MOCA and Miami, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
2004
ArtBasel Miami Beach / Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami Beach, FL
Miami Nice, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris, France
Miami Currents, Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL
In Situ, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
Lock, Stock and Barrel, Frederic Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL
Obituary, Placemaker, Miami, FL
2003
Between Art and Life, From Joseph Cornell to Gabriel Orozco,
Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL
Ten Floridians, Miami Art Central, Miami, FL
Free Spirits, ArtBasel Miami Beach, Miami Beach, FL
Space – Thinking Outside the Sphere, Miami Science Museum, Miami, FL
Turning Pages, Wolfson Campus Gallery, Miami, FL
Imagine, MoCA, North Miami, FL
Exit Biennial, The Reconstruction, Exit Art, NYC
2002
Beached/Not Stranded, The Beaker Gallery, Tampa, FL
Postcards from the Edge, Sperone Westwater, NYC
The No Shows, Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Miami, FL
Florida Focus Exhibition 2002: Fresh Squeezed, Gulf Coast Museum of Art, Tampa, FL
Effexor 75, Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami, FL
Primal Screams and Songs, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA,) North Miami, FL
That Place, Dacra Miami Design District, Miami, FL
globe>miami<island, Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington DC 2001 globe>miami<island, The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL
The Sears Building, the House, Miami, FL
Highlights of the Permanent Collection, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, Florida
Popular Mechanics, Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY
Danger, Exit Art, NYC, NY
Neuberger Museum of Art Biennial Exhibition of Public Art: Purchase, NY
Inside and Out, Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL
The End: Exit Art, NYC, NY
2000
FULL SERVE: 10 Year Anniversary, Curated by Kenny Schachter,
547 West 27th St, NYC
I Hate NY, Curated by Kenny Schachter,107 Shoreditch High St., London, UK
Making Art in Miami-Travels in Hyper Reality, Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami, FL
Studio Four, Honolulu, Hawaii
Dorsch Projects, Miami, Florida
Sweet and Low, Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
1999
Paradise 8, Exit Art Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
1998
Cambio, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Mexico City, Mexico
Rove, Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
Paradise, Exit Art, Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
1997
Taking Stock, Curated by, Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
Cambio, Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
1996
Sex, Drugs and Explosives, Curated by Kenny Schachter,
London Artforms Gallery, London, England
Texas Meets New York, Curated by Kenny Schachter,
Arlington Museum of Art, TX
SUMMER TRASH, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Flamingo East,
219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
The Experimenters, Curated by Kenny Schachter, Lombard Freid, New York, NY
1995
High Anxiety, Curated by Kenny Schachter, New York, NY
OY! Curated by Kenny Schachter 121 Greene Street, New York, NY
EITHER/OR, Curated by Kenny Schachter Flamingo East, 219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
HIGH ANXIETY, Curated by Kenny Schachter 66 Crosby Street, New York, NY
1994
UNSUCCESS STORY, Curated by Kenny Schachter 479 Broome Street, New York, NY
ARTYCHOKE TV, Curated by Kenny Schachter Flamingo East, 219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
I Could Do That, Curated by Kenny Schachter 109 Spring Street, New York, NY
PRE-EXISTING CONDITION, Curated by Kenny Schachter Puffin Foundation, 435 Broome St., NY
1993
Shooting Blanks, Curated by Kenny Schachter 81 Greene Street, New York, NY
For Sale, Curated by Kenny Schachter Flamingo East, 219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
I Was Born Like This Curated by Kenny Schachter 238 Mulberry Street, New York, NY
Phone!, Curated by Kenny Schachter Dooley Le Cappelaine, 252 Lafayette Street, New York, NY
High, Curated by Kenny Schachter Flamingo East, 219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
1992
Kitschen, Curated by Kenny Schachter Flamingo East, 219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY
Morality Café Curated by Kenny Schachter Postmasters Gallery, 80
Greene Street, New York, NY
GRANTS, AWARDS, HONORS
2008
USA Nimoy Fellowship via The Fabric Workshop and Museum
2005
Nancy Graves Foundation Award
2005
New World School of the Arts, NEA Teaching Grant, Miami, FL
2001
The Louis Comfort Tiffany Award
1998
Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, Miami, FL
South Florida Cultural Consortium Visual and Media Fellowship, Miami, FL
1998
New Forms Miami Grant, Miami, FL
1997
Appreciation of Service Certificate, Miami Youth Museum Film Festival, Miami, FL
1996
Appreciation of Service Certificate, New York City Schools Volunteer Program, New York, NY
1995
Appreciation of Service Certificate, New York City Schools Volunteer Program, NY NY
SELECTED MUSEUM COLLECTIONS
MOMA, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, FL
Perez Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL
MAM, Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL
Kemper Museum, Kansas City, MO
Laumeier Museum, St. Louis, MO
Aidekman Arts Center, Tufts University, Medford, MA
PUBLICATIONS
Jane Hart, 100+ Degrees in the Shade –A Survey of South Florida Art
Name Publications. 2015
Edited by Clearwater, Bonnie. Defining the Nineties, Consensus Making in New York, Miami and Los Angeles, Progress Press, Miami, FL. 1996
Curated by Fajardo-Hill, Cecilia. Fortunate Objects, Objetos Afortunados Edizioni Charta, Milan, Italy. 2007
Miami Art Central. 10 Floridians, Miami Art Central and Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation, Miami, FL. 2003
Clamence, Paul and Davidow, Julie. Miami Contemporary Artists, Schiffer Publishing Ltd, Atgen, PA. 2007
COMMISSIONS
2011
Light Field Miami-Dade Art in Public Places
Orbital 1 and 2 Miami-Dade Art in Public Places
2010
Eclipse Pearl Eclipse, Royal Caribbean
2007
Atomic Dog, City of Winter Park Public Art Program
2006
Ellipsota, Lobby and Plaza New York Times/ Sarasota Herald Tribune, Sarasota, FL
2004
Sugabus, Laumeier Sculpture Park, St Louis, MO
EDUCATION
1990, MA, New York University, NY
1983, BFA, University of Miami
Exhibitions
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