Rock Lobster: Philip Colbert Brings His Crustacean Creations to Pompeii

A new installation from Philip Colbert, the Scottish artist often called the “godson of Andy Warhol”, has opened in Pompeii, the first contemporary sculpture exhibition in the Italian city for 30 years. 

Philip Colbert in Pompeii: Pop Mythology will feature more than 30 of the artist’s trademark lobster sculptures and is his biggest takeover to date of a global city. The show also marks the first time a contemporary artist has exhibited in the houses of Pompeii.

The exhibition draws inspiration from Pompeii’s famous lobster mosaic to consider how mythology, history and contemporary culture co-exist. Colbert’s lobster alter ego—which has become synonymous with his exploration of the relationship between digital culture and art history—acts as a conduit for reimagining archaeological storytelling.

Colbert’s previous large-scale public installations have appeared in London, Rome, Naples, Venice, Sicily, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore and Macau. In a statement about the Pompeii exhibition, the artist said: “Pompeii is, for me, the ultimate city of antiquity—a place that exists beyond time. I can’t think of a more powerful setting in which to create a sculptural dialogue about time, identity and the ways art can transcend its limitations.”

 “The ruins of Pompeii embody both tragedy and beauty, and the city itself feels suspended between past and present,” he added.

Pop Mythology is inspired by the ancient art of Pompeii—notably the lobster mosaic in the House of the Faun—and includes 12 previously unseen pieces. Designed to respond to the history of the ancient city, the exhibition places stainless steel lobster sculptures and bronze patina works among ruins, columns and arches. Colbert is also exhibiting a new trilogy of black steel “future mythological relic” sculptures, speculative ruins from an imagined future that include robotic lobster warriors.

The show continues beyond the main archaeological site, with Colbert’s works also presented at Villa of Poppaea, Boscoreale, Villa San Marco and Villa Arianna.

Colbert has been inspired by Pompeii for many years, The Scotsman reported in an interview with the artist. “My dad took me to a Roman fort outside Perth when I was young and we went looking for Roman coins and nails—it was mindblowing to find real Roman artefacts. When I went to Pompeii, it all came rushing back to me. Here I was, with my art to be able to tap into history and time and to be in a place which is such a definitive icon of what archaeology means. The myth and storytelling around Pompeii mean it is a place which has this cult status.”