David Altmejd is a Canadian artist (born in Montreal in 1974) who lives and works in both Montreal and London, England.
In 2001, he completed his Masters of Fine Arts at Columbia University. He also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Université du Québec à Montréal, in Montreal, Canada. Since graduating with his MFA, he has taken part in many high profile group shows at important spaces as impressive as Artists Space and Deitch Projects, both in New York City. In 2003, he was curated by Dan Cameron into the 8th International Istanbul Biennial. In 2004, he was included in the Whitney Biennial of American Art. In 2007, he represented Canada at the Venice Biennale; his installation "The Index", curated by Louise Déry, was subsequently purchased by the Art Gallery of Ontario.[1]
David Altmejd's sculptures mix seemingly random objects such as decapitated werewolf heads with graffiti-style Stars of David, stained Calvin Klein underwear, towers made of mirrors, plastic flowers and faux jewelry, to create sculptural systems loaded with what he calls “symbolic potential” and open ended narratives. Werewolf heads have appeared so frequently in his work that in the contemporary art world, they are widely recognized as being closely affiliated with this artist.
Altmejd is represented in New York City by Andrea Rosen Gallery, Xavier Hufkens, Brussels and Stuart Shave/Modern Art, London.