Philip Colbert launches Lobsteropolis City and the Lobster Land Museum in Decentraland, curated by Simon de Pury
This June 30th, British contemporary artist Philip Colbert reveals LOBSTEROPOLIS CITY, his first fully digital exhibition, opening within the ‘metaverse’ of Decentraland – seeing the artist’s lobster universe evolve into its latest iteration. This marks the most ambitious and largest-scale single artist venture to be seen in Decentraland to date.
An open-source Virtual Reality world built on the Ethereum Blockchain, Decentraland is a place to explore and experience through a unique avatar, or even create your own piece of the universe. Set across 57 Land Parcels in the district of Lobster Land, Lobsteropolis City is partnered with Vegas City, one of the largest districts within the Decentraland metaverse.
Curated by globally renowned art auctioneer and dealer Simon de Pury at the Lobster Land Museum, the exhibition includes a series of NFT works available exclusively with NFT platform Super Rare. These include Colbert’s iconic past works Cryptofixtion and Lobster Fountain, alongside new unseen NFT works.
Simon de Pury says;
“We are right now living and working in an interesting time for the art world, which has finally fully embraced the digital world. It has been such fun to appear as an avatar in Philip Colbert’s exciting lobster universe.”
Born in Scotland and living and working in London. Colbert is often referred to as the “godson of Andy Warhol”. Colbert has created a global following for his cartoon Lobster persona and his masterful hyper pop history paintings. His work powerfully explores the patterns of contemporary digital culture and its relationship to a deeper art historical dialogue. “I became an artist when I became a Lobster” says Colbert.
Graduating with an MA in Philosophy from St. Andrews University, Colbert’s work has received international acclaim in museums and galleries worldwide for his energetic new approach to painting and pop theory. Following on from early Pop painters such as Richard Hamilton, Roy Lichtenstein and James Rosenquist. Colbert’s paintings cross high art themes from old master paintings and contemporary art theory with everyday symbols of mass contemporary culture, all narrated through the eyes of Colbert’s cartoon Lobster alter ego. He has been championed as a contemporary Pop master by art world figures such as Charles Saatchi & Simon de Pury.
The opening of LOBSTEROPOLIS CITY will take place on Wednesday 30 June, and to mark the event at the Lobster Land Museum, Simon de Pury will also be hosting his first Decentraland auction. Central to the auction is a new NFT artwork created in collaboration with legendary American New wave band DEVO – a hybrid artwork and musical performance titled LOB-STER DE-VO.
In this work Colbert further explores the role digital ideology is playing in the re-birth of a more digitally orientated era for humanity, and the defining role art plays in such times – at the same time paying reference to the use of 3 crucifixions in DEVO’s iconic music video ‘Through being cool’ in 1981.
DEVO will also perform a live DJ set at Lobster Land Records store next door to the Museum for the launch event on 30 June.
Gerald Casale, DEVO tells us;
“‘LOB-STER-DE-VO’ Clawing our way into the future. Breaking free. Looking for new traditions. Deevolution is real!”
Colbert says:
“They were my favourite band growing up, and have an inspiring creative energy, so it’s been amazing getting the chance to work with them. I love the way the NFT space has created an accessible platform where art and music join forces in a revolutionary way. Never before has there been such a platform to present art in this way. In art history I have always been obsessed with this crossover of art & music, from the Ballets Russes where de Chirico & Picasso designed costumes and sets for the Ballets to the aesthetics of the Punk & Pop movement. For me Devo are the ultimate art band, and for the NFT artwork they created the unique Devo track ‘LOB-STER DE- VO’. Instinctively I felt that my Lobster and the iconic DEVO hat were destined to be together.”
Colbert has been building Lobsteropolis City over the last three years, with composite elements having appeared in international museum shows and through gaming, video and virtual reality platforms. These have included his 2020 Saatchi Gallery exhibition, which opened with a lobster robot-only launch in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and Lobster Land at the Modern Art Museum in Shanghai. This new project, therefore, marks a logical evolution in Colbert’s innovative, ongoing engagement with the digital possibilities of art.
Philip Colbert says;
“Forget Cubism, this is artistic expression and experience on another level. With the rise of the NFT, the digital art movement is now a tidal wave, and so many new ideas are possible. Never before has a generation been able to so radically shift artistic possibilities, it’s the perfect storm. For me Decentraland was the best second life platform to house Lobsteropolis.”
James Ashton, CEO of Vegas City says;
“The project is the most ambitious digital show and artist’s world I’ve seen yet, it could really inspire new creative possibilities for the platform. We love Philip’s work, and the way his artistic world has developed so well digitally, we believe it will create a new immersive art phenomenon. Rather than just presenting a typical show, Colbert has created a whole world for the viewer to experience. The possibilities here are endless.”
Museum Opening Wednesday 30 June, with live DJ set from Devo To access, click here: https://play.decentraland.org/?position=-103%2C147
