ABOUT
DIRK WESTPHAL is a multimedia artist. He has worked with photography, sculpture, installation, sound/music, and performance art, at times simultaneously. Westphal’s earlier work was performance-oriented. He conceived, organized, choreographed, and then fought in apocalyptically themed gladiatorial spectacles on the streets of New York City. He collected props and staged various other urban scenarios, playing dead amongst wrecked cars and playing the role of Conductor in his ‘Symphony of Horns,’ a performance piece in which gridlocked drivers outside of Westphal’s downtown studio honked along to the artist’s direction, creating a musical masterpiece.
In the 90’s, Westphal shifted his focus to explore and challenge society’s notions of beauty. In an effort to study and expose the various mechanisms corporations use to shape, harness, and exploit consumers’ notions of beauty, Westphal began collecting and cataloguing contemporary signifiers (products he liked), refashioning them in some way, and then photographing them to highlight their seductive qualities (a talent he picked up working as a commercial photographer). His encyclopedic photo series from this time catalogued prepackaged desserts, mouthwashes, cough syrups, and payphones. Westphal has since evolved into the consummate collector; his recent work includes exhaustive visual studies of toothpaste, nail polish, overbred goldfish, damselfish, special edition cupcakes, plastic caps, flying people and lead turning from liquid to solid. These series are united in their focus on artifice and mutation as hallmarks of our culture.
Westphal’s work is born from everyday experiences as an artist working in the studio, at first in downtown Manhattan, now in the Hudson Valley. His photo series in particular, have been inspired by daily expeditions through Chinatown that exposed him to countless cheap and curious products. Seduced by the allure of artificial color and prefabricated beauty, the artist felt compelled to investigate the mechanisms of consumer culture on the street level. Westphal’s imposition of his meticulous sense of order on an array of everyday products constitutes a political and aesthetic resistance to mainstream culture. His work could be a witty critique of our culture, cloaked in a glossy finish. Post Pop is the movement he would be associated with the most.
Westphal received his Masters of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts in 1989. His work has been shown throughout the U.S. and abroad at galleries including the Tim Olsen Gallery (Sydney), Cat Street Gallery (Hong Kong), Baldwin Gallery (Aspen, CO), Design Within Reach (Los Angeles, CA), The New York Historical Society, Art in General, Exit Art, Mixed Greens (all NYC), Glenn Horowitz (East Hampton, NY), and PS1 Contemporary Art Center (Queens, NY). His work belongs to collections at Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute (New York), the Progressive Collection (Cleveland, OH), the New York Times Photo Archives, Rockefeller University (New York), Pfizer (New York), the United States Department of State (Washington D.C.), and Sir Elton John’s private collection, among many others. Westphal’s images have appeared in a wide array of publications and books including The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, V Magazine, The Village Voice, The New York Observer, Mother Jones, Marie Claire, People, Teen People, Der Spiegel and Stern.
SELECTED SHOWINGS
2023
Canal Street Boogie Woogie, hosted by Mutton Dressed as Lamb, Artsy
2022
Flying People aka Love note to Johnny B., hosted by Mutton Dressed as Lamb, Artsy
2021
Proof of Life in Collaboration with Laura Watt, hosted by Mutton Dressed as Lamb, Artsy
2019
Dirk Westphal, Sperling Gallery, Berlin, Germany*
Dirk Westphal, Hudson Hils, Cold Spring, NY*
2016
Brain Project, Sponsored by Telus, Toronto, CA
2015
Matsui Fudosan, 527 Madison , NYC*
2013/2014
Mimesis, Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO*
Crypsis, Cuchifritos, NYC*
2012
We Love, Maison 24, Maison 24, Bridgehampton, NY
2011
Under the Sea, Mass Moca Kidspace, North Adams, MA
Canal Street Boogie Woogie, show and book publication- 6 Decades/Boo-Hooray, NYC*
Signal 8, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong
Dirk Westphal to benefit Lancaster Museum of Art, Lancaster, PA
2010
Accessories to an Artwork with Peter Saville, Glenn Horowitz, East Hampton, NY
9 Books, New York Art Book Fair at PS1/MOMA. Installation and book launch. Queens, NY
2009
Super Uber, Mixed Greens, NYC*
X, Mixed Greens, NYC
Endless Bummer, Glenn Horowitz, New York Art Book Fair, PS1/MOMA, Queens, NY
2008
Super Uber Extra Texture, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney, Australia*
2007
Carassius Auratus II, Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong*
Piscoli Fabulosi usw. Harley Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO*
This Is All Part of God’s Plan, Blood, NYC*
What’s Your Hobby? Curated by Beth Rudin de Woody, Fireplace Project, East Hampton, NY
2006
Animalia, Irvine Contemporary, Washington, DC
Natur und Kunst Leisure Enterprise, Mixed Greens, NYC*
Black and White, LTMH Gallery, NYC
Artists of the Hamptons, LTMH Gallery, NYC
Piscoli Fabulosi II, DWR, Los Angeles, CA*
Fish Follies, Cordova Museum, Cordova, AK
Dirk Westphal, Quogue Library, Quogue, NY*
2005
Crits Pix, Black and White Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Beasts on the Beach, Salt Queen Foundation, Water Mill, NY
Dirk Westphal, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney, Australia*
Pulp, Lonsdale Gallery, Toronto, Ont
Pretend Friendly, curated by Alfredo MartinezArtists Network, NYC.
Call of the Wild, Susquehanna Art Museum, Harrisburg, PA.
Red, White and Blue, Spencer Brownstone Gallery, NYC.
2004
New Arrival, Terminal 5, JFK Airport, Queens, NY.
Piscoli Fabulosi, Mixed Greens, NYC. *
Piscoli Speciosi, Arts Club of Washington, DC. *
2003
Petropolis: A Social History of Urban Companion Animals, New York Historical Society, NYC.
Portraits of Fortune, Tim Olsen Gallery, Sydney, Australia. *
Nature Photography, Jay Grimm Gallery, NYC.
2002
Toronto/New York,Angell Gallery, Toronto, ONT.
Dirk Westphal, DTW Gallery, NYC. *
Carassius Auratus, Harley Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO. *
Collarobations, The National Arts Club, NYC
2001
Wet, Luise Ross Gallery, NYC
Material Whirled, curated by Laura Lobdell, Art in General, NYC
2000
Collector’s Choice, Exit Art/The First World, NYC
Grand Opening, 72 Grand Street, NYC*
Urban Being, curated by Jay Grimm, The Limelight, NYC
1999
NY Gladiators: Shelley Mars vs. Hope Clark, Box Opera, Angel Orensanz Foundation, NYC
Photosynthesis, Rare, NYC
New York Gladiators: Live Combat for Total Media Control ,PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, Queens, NY*
Paradise 8, Exit Art/The First World, NYC
Site, in collaboration with Tom Sachs, Sante Fe, NM
1998
NY Gladiators Performance to benefit Fat Magazine at LIFE, NYC*
Super Freaks, Green Naftali, NYC
1997
WOW- the Walls of Westphalia, The Clive Gallery, Church Stretton, UK*
Dirk Westphal, NY Security Mini Storage, NYC*
1996
Cultural Prosthetics, in collaboration with Tom Sachs, Morris Healy Gallery , NYC
1995
Symphony of Horns performance, Centre/Broome St. NYC*
Gotcha!, Momenta Art, curated by Donald Odita, Brooklyn, NY and Columbus, OH
Extremely Refrigerated, curated by Alfredo Martinez, Meat Packing District, NYC
Artifax, We’ve Got Christo’s Daughter!! performance, the Puck Building, NYC
Spring Collection, Sauce, Brooklyn, NY
The Weapons Show, curated by Alfredo Martinez, Exploding Sky, NYC
NY Gladiators - Easter Apocalypse, Petrosino Park, NYC*
YGI, Fashion Extravaganza, Pseudo Museum, NYC
101 Ways to Have Fun During the Apocalypse, Pseudo Museum, NYC
1994
Kill All Artists performance with Tom Sachs, Alfredo Martinez and Callum Greene, NYC
Bong Show , in collaboration with Tom Sachs the Alleged Gallery, NYC
Untitled, No Bias Gallery, N. Bennington, VT
Enthropy, FPU 13, NYC
Fired , A Late Night Comedy Show, Thicket, NYC
1990
Work in Progress, Crosby Street Studio, NYC*
*denotes solo show
fair exhibition/representation not included.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Metropolitan Museum of Art Fashion Institute, NY, NY
National Arts Club, NY, NY
The New School, NY, NY
SEI Investments, Philadelphia, PA
Cantillon Capital, NY, NY
Pfizer, NY, NY
Kiitos, Los Angeles, CA
Corel, Toronto, ONT
Progressive, Cleveland, OH
Rockefeller University, NY, NY
Columbia University Earth Institute, NY, NY
Time/Life Pictures, NY, NY
Getty Images, NY, NY
The New York Times Photo Archives, NY, NY
Voyager, NY, NY
Corbis
Henson Foundation
Purina
Art for Embassies
PHOTO CREDITS
The New York Times, The New York Sunday Times Magazine
Dwell
The Village Voice
The Source
Der Spiegel, Stern
Mother Jones
Art News
Marie Claire
Maxim
V
Travel and Leisure
Sony Style
Zero Hour
Fat Magazine
Cannibal Love
Poets and Writers
Ms.
People, Teen People
New York Observer
Elle Décor
Future of Things
Soul of Miami
National Geographic.com
SELECTED MEDIA/PRESS
Barreneche, Paul. ‘Abode and Beyond’ Gotham Magazine, page 138, March 2012
Brady, Sallie. ‘House Fun’ NY Spaces, page 72, May 2010
Lamarche, Una. ‘Modern Family’ photo featured Hamptons Magazine May 2010
De Guzman, Cicero. ‘NYC Surf’ Refueled photo feature page 66 May, 2010
Hann, Christopher. ‘Barnegat Bound’ New Jersey Life photo feature page 66, June-July 2009
Gladman, Randy. ‘Inquisition of Dirk Westphal’ Akrylic.com. June 7, 2009
Editors, ‘ Sneak Peak with Allison Julius’ Designsponge.com. December 12, 2009
Editors, ‘Dirk Westphal’ Habituallychicblog.com. July 22, 2009
Editors, ‘Silently, I Begged’, Mocoloco.com. March 2, 2009
Editors, ‘Fish Tales’ Designwonderland.com. March 24, 2009
Castets, Simon.’ Dirk Westphal’s Fishy Dealings’ VMan.com March 19, 2009
Pakula, Karen. ‘Open Gallery- Dirk Westphal’ Sydney Morning Herald page 16, March 8, 2008
Brisick, Jamie. ‘Faces New York, Dirk Westphal’ Surfline.com August, 2008
Editors, ‘ Five Questions’ VMan.com. April 4, 2008
Editors, ‘Body and Soul’ Traditional Home page 76, July 2008
Scherrrig, Lasse. Stallschuss, Stefanie and Fries, Urs. ‘How to Understand Seam Carving’ Ubersetzen#0 page 94-97, October, 2008
Editors, ‘Dirk Westphal’ Littlewillow.com. April 20, 2008
Bernstein, Fred. ‘Water Everywhere’ Metropolitan Home, page 112, July/August, 2008
Editor, ‘ Hampton Style’ Danspapers.com October 10, 2008
Editor, ‘Adam Stennett with Will Cotton’ Whitehot Magazine June 2008
Editor, ‘ Dirk Westphal- Photographs’ The Sydney Magazine February, 2008
D’Aquino, Carl. ‘The Shingle Life- Lookbook’ Elledecor July, 2008
Szabo, Julia. ‘Fin Artist’ The New York Post page 33, June 24, 2007
Editors, ‘Next Wave’ Vogue- German edition, page 136, August 2007
Arnold, Liz . ‘Color Conscious’ Hampton Homes and Gardens, page 86, July 2007
Condon, Jennifer. ‘At Home with Carolyn Murphy’ House and Garden page 20, August 2007
Green, Penelope, ‘Kips Bay Where Everything Glitters’ New York Times page F1, April 19, 2007
Editors, ‘Introduction to Dirk Westphal’ ApartmentTherapy.com August 30, 2007
Editors ‘Top 100 Tees- Kill All Artists’ Merge.com July11, 2007
McCormick, Carlo. ‘The Board Man’ Paper Magazine, August, 2007
Editors. ‘Super Fabulized’ Aspen Times Weekly, March 18, 2007
Suqi, Rima. ‘ Landlocked Fish, Worth Their Weight in 24 Karat’ New York Times, House and Home June 14, 2007
Che, Cathay. ‘Essential Summer Gear Guide’ p. 17, Concierge.com (Conde Nast Travel and Leisure website) June 2007
Editor, ‘Dirk Westphal’ Lifestyleasia.com. April 19, 2007
Leung, Janice. ‘The Planner’ South China Morning Post page 8, May 30, 2007
Sun, Andrew. ‘ Surfboards and Goldfish- Of Course!’ South China Morning Post CitySeen page 2, May 21, 2007
Shiu, Steph .‘Hook Line and Sinker’ HK Lifestyle Cover May, 2007
Editors, ‘Arts’ South China Morning Post Features page 3, May 17, 2007
Cudlin, Jeffrey. ‘Animalia’ Washington City Paper June 23, 2006
Rubin, Nadine. ‘Where the Art Is’ Harper’s Bazaar, page 32, September 2006
Suqi, Rima. ‘Strategist- the Best Bet’ New York Magazine page 41, June 12, 2006
Editors ‘Word of Mouth’ Conde Nast Traveler page 30, July 2006
Veis, Greg. ‘Surf and Turf, V Magazine, Spring 2006
Kilgannon, Corey. ‘Art for Catching the Eye and Waves’ New York Times, October 17, 2006
Che, Cathay. ‘ Express Lane’ TimeOut, New York. July 27, 2006
Hastie, Amelie. ‘New York Shelf Life- Dirk Westphal- Acts of Preservation’ Journal of Visual Culture page 53-74, Spring 2005
Valdez, Sarah. ‘Dirk Westphal at Mixed Greens’, Art in America page 129-130 February, 2005
Petley, William. ‘Mandy’s Mad Dash’ The Sun Herald February 6, 2005
Editors, ‘Open Gallery Dirk Westphal’ Sydney Morning Herald, February 2, 2005
Ernst, Eric. ‘Perspectives’ South Hampton Press, September 15 , 2005
Christofori, Ralf. ‘Die Gottliche Linke’ der Spiegel originally printed in Monopol, July 2005
Editors Pick, ‘WaterWorks’ New York Sun, July 15, 2004
Park, Sean.‘ World Artist’ Art Price page 91-95 July, 2004
Editor, ‘Now for Some Real Talent’ The Art Newspaper page 29, March, 2004
Reed, John. ‘Dirk Westphal’ NY Critics Pick, Artforum.com. July 2004.
Robbins, Sarah. ‘Dirk Westphal-Artist’ Gothamist.com interview August, 2004
Dawson, Jessica. ‘Mr. Westphal’s Fish Shtick’’ The Washington Post February, 2004
Szabo, Julia. ‘Art-a- Fish-ionado’ The New York Post July 25, 2004
Editors, ‘Dirk Westphal- Artist’ Gothamist.com August 4, 2004
Petley, William. ‘A List’ Sydney Sun Herald January, 26 2003
Cohen, David. ‘Nature Photography’ The New York Sun July 31, 2003
Harris, Susan. ‘Material Whirled’ Art in General March, 2001
‘Editor, ‘Dirk Westphal Rude Order’ Borderlines page 43 July, 1998
Horwitz-Whitmore, Ina ‘Jeffrey Show is a Dessert Delight’ Bexley this Week page 5 Dec 15, 1997
Turner, Grady. Dirk Westphal at NYC Mini Storage’, Art in America, Oct, 1997
Frenz, Sophie. ‘NY Artist gets His Just Desserts’the Messenger cover feature , Dec 15, 1997
Editors, ‘Review’ WorldArt page 91, February,1996
Holyfield, Joe.‘New York Gladiators’ Fat Magazine page 42. Winter, 1996
Stitelman ,Paul. ‘No Bias Tacckles Tough Issues’ North Bennington Banner, October 6, 1994.
Huffman, Dwight. ‘911’ Manhattan File page 60, September, 1995
Cessna, Walter. ‘Feature’ Stop Magazine page 63, vol.4, 1991
Editor ‘ Feature’ Art Express pages10-11, September 1990
Gamboa, Harry ‘Social Afterimages’ High performance Magazine page 46, Fall 1989
Ochoa, Laurie.‘ Previews’ Los Angeles Times, March 24, 1989