David Claerbout Artworks

David Claerbout subtly and painstakingly manipulates still and moving imagery of natural landscapes, architecture, and people to create immersive, otherworldly environments characterised by a sense of time and movement.

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Synthetic Images

As Claerbout expanded his work in the digital realm, he explored images in more depth. In Retrospection (2000), the artist moves the camera around a class photo from the 1930s, zooming in on particular faces with suspenseful music to imply some form of narrative.

Claerbout's work soon began to develop from simple exploration to manipulation and the production of totally synthetic images. Vietnam, 1967 near Duc Pho (reconstruction after Hiromishi Mine) (2001) incorporated an historical still image with contemporary footage of the same landscape. Claerbout's King (2015—2016), made over a decade later, is a wholly synthetic three-dimensional recreation of an image taken by Alfred Wertheimer of a young Elvis Presley in 1956, allowing the 'camera' to explore the original photographed scene from all angles.

Pure Necessity

David Claerbout's Jungle Book rendition, The Pure Necessity (2016), reverses the humanisation of the animals in the popular 1967 Disney animated film. In scenes redrawn frame by frame, without any dialogue or trace of the original narrative, snakes, bears, monkeys, and elephant characters behave naturally, meandering to a soundtrack of silence and ambient jungle sounds.

It is an attempt to reconcile the relationship of trust with the visual image under pressure from contemporary visual culture.

Olympia

Time is always a significant aspect of Claerbout's work. David Claerbout's Olympia (2016—Ongoing) is a real-time animated computer simulation of the disintegration of the Berlin Olympic stadium over the course of 1000 years. The duration is linked to the thousand-year Reich, the ambition of the Nazis who commissioned the stadium for the 1936 Olympic Games.

Olympia has been presented as an HD-video installation and through generated stills that capture the stadium at different times of day and in different seasons and weather conditions, approximating the current Berlin weather.

Wildfire

David Claerbout's Wildfire (Meditation on Fire) (2019—2020) further plays with the concept of time and reality. The camera travels through a forest scene seemingly ablaze, yet the fires are frozen in time, like a still life. It is an immersive experience that, like Olympia, could not otherwise be witnessed by the viewer's eye. Silence is interrupted only by intermittent bird song and other sounds of nature.

Aircraft

David Claerbout's Aircraft (F.A.L.) (2015—2021) is a video composed of footage taken in an empty factory hall with the addition of a complex 3D model of the titular aircraft. Polished and gleaming, the aircraft seems brand new, yet its setting consigns it to the past, disrupting linear perceptions of time. It interrogates the ability of film and photography to make and preserve history.

Browse Artworks
Birdcage (explosion spotlight countered by daylight) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Birdcage (explosion spotlight countered by daylight), 2023-2024 Ink, pastel and gouache on Canson Montval Aquarelle paper
115 x 110 cm
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Birdcage (Invading with Magenta, Edges cooler) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Birdcage (Invading with Magenta, Edges cooler), 2023–2024 Ink, pastel and gouache on Canson montval aquarel paper
75 x 110 cm
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Birdcage (in the last light shines brightest) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Birdcage (in the last light shines brightest), 2023-2024 Ink, pastel and gouache on Canson montval aquarel paper
115 x 110 cm
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Wildfire (First the Blood, then the Fire) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting
David Claerbout Wildfire (First the Blood, then the Fire), 2022-2023 Acryl paint, gouache, pencil on paper
112 x 114.5 cm
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Backwards Growing Tree (Italian Winter) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting
David Claerbout Backwards Growing Tree (Italian Winter), 2023 Washed ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pastel, and pencil on watercolour paper
76 x 119.7 cm
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Texas Border Pieces (9° by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Texas Border Pieces (9°, 2023 China ink, acrylic paint, and pencil on aquarelle paper
66 x 101.4 cm
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Texas Border Pieces (8) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Texas Border Pieces (8), 2023 China ink, acrylic paint, and pencil on aquarelle paper
66 x 101.5 cm
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Texas Border Pieces (6) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Texas Border Pieces (6), 2023 China ink, acrylic paint, and pencil on aquarelle paper
66 x 101.5 cm
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Texas Border Pieces (4) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Texas Border Pieces (4), 2023 China ink, acrylic paint, and pencil on aquarelle paper
66 x 101.5 cm
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Texas Border Pieces (1) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Texas Border Pieces (1), 2023 China ink, acrylic paint, and pencil on aquarelle paper
66 x 101.5 cm
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Backwards Growing Tree (Red Evening Light) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Backwards Growing Tree (Red Evening Light), 2023 Washed ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pastel, and pencil on aquarelle paper
76 x 119.5 cm
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Backwards Growing Tree (Colour Sheet for Summer Days) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Backwards Growing Tree (Colour Sheet for Summer Days), 2023 Washed ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pastel, and pencil on aquarelle paper
76 x 120 cm
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Backwards Growing Tree (Colour Sheet for Autumn Days) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Backwards Growing Tree (Colour Sheet for Autumn Days), 2023 Washed ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pastel, and pencil on aquarelle paper
76 x 119.5 cm
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Birdcage (Green is the Escape Route) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork drawing
David Claerbout Birdcage (Green is the Escape Route), 2023 Pencil, acrylic, gouache on paper
65 x 100 cm
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Birdcage (Theme in Modules) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork works on paper, mixed media
David Claerbout Birdcage (Theme in Modules), 2023 Washed ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pastel, and pencil on aquarelle paper
75 x 115.5 cm
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Birdcage (A Softer Explosion) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Birdcage (A Softer Explosion), 2023 Washed ink, acrylic paint, gouache, pastel, and pencil on aquarelle paper
75.5 x 115 cm
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Birdcage by David Claerbout contemporary artwork moving image
David Claerbout Birdcage, 2023 Single channel colour video projection, stereo audio, 1h36
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Backwards Growing Tree by David Claerbout contemporary artwork moving image
David Claerbout Backwards Growing Tree, 2023 Single channel video projection, colour, stereo audio, 5 years
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the confetti piece by David Claerbout contemporary artwork moving image
David Claerbout the "confetti" piece, 2015–2018 Double channel video projection, 3D animation, silent, colour, 18 minutes 25 seconds
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Breathing Bird by David Claerbout contemporary artwork moving image
David Claerbout Breathing Bird, 2012 Two channel video on flatscreens (19"), colour, silent
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Olympia (Nothing Romantic) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork mixed media
David Claerbout Olympia (Nothing Romantic), 2017 inkjet print, collage, tape, washed ink, acrylic paint, felt pen and pencil on cardboard
24 x 44.88 inches
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Die reine Notwendigkeit/The pure necessity by David Claerbout contemporary artwork moving image
David Claerbout Die reine Notwendigkeit/The pure necessity, 2016 single channel video, HD animation, color, stereo sound, 60 minutes, looped
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Olympia (Simulation of late april snow (not yet permanent 1 day)) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, mixed media
David Claerbout Olympia (Simulation of late april snow (not yet permanent 1 day)), 2016 inkjet print, collage, tape, washed ink, acrylic paint, felt pen and pencil on cardboard
15.9 x 23.38 inches
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Olympia (Januari 2018 -4°) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, mixed media
David Claerbout Olympia (Januari 2018 -4°), 2017 inkjet print, collage, tape, washed ink, acrylic paint, felt pen and pencil on cardboard
16.5 x 22.43 inches
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KING (after Alfred Wertheimer's 1956picture of a young man named Elvis Presley by David Claerbout contemporary artwork moving image
David Claerbout KING (after Alfred Wertheimer's 1956picture of a young man named Elvis Presley, 2015-2016 Film still: Single channel video projection, HD animation, black & white, silent, 10 minutes
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Highway Wreck Drawing (Car Is Shiny New Yet Old) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Highway Wreck Drawing (Car Is Shiny New Yet Old), 2013 Washed ink and felt pen on paper
61 x 46 cm
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Wildfire (Untitled 6) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Wildfire (Untitled 6), 2020 China ink and pencil on paper, mounted on cardboard
46 x 61 cm
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Wildfire (Wildfire - Baroque) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting
David Claerbout Wildfire (Wildfire - Baroque), 2020 China ink and pencil on paper, mounted on cardboard
36 x 51 cm
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Die reine Notwendigkeit (Dégradé-Bear. Zombie-Theory) (Jungle book) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout Die reine Notwendigkeit (Dégradé-Bear. Zombie-Theory) (Jungle book), 2016–2017 Washed ink, pencil, acrylic paint on paper
36 x 48 cm
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The pure necessity (J.B. vs Life) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, drawing
David Claerbout The pure necessity (J.B. vs Life), 2017 Washed ink, pencil, acrylic paint on paper
36 x 48 cm
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Aircraft set image (Latent as Life) by David Claerbout contemporary artwork painting, works on paper, print, drawing
David Claerbout Aircraft set image (Latent as Life), 2021–2022 Pencil, watercolour and China ink on Fine Art inkjet print on Hahnemühle etching paper
61 x 110.4 cm
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