From the outside, Trotter&Sholer’s current exhibition of works by Derek Weisberg might look like jarring Frankensteinian creations. With roughly hewn figural assemblages, mixed media collages, and fragmented bricolages of ceramic masks, the show reveals sensitive, personal histories upon closer inspection. “I’ve Done Too Much Slithering, I’m Now Claiming Skies” brings together a thoughtful, visually engaging selection of works that reveal the artist’s investigation of human experiences and self-preservation.

Made from found materials and reconstructed fragments of the artist’s previous creations, the works in the show are personal and carefully crafted. In Pre-emptive Nostalgia for the Possible but Doubtful (2016), the artist has patched together a figure made of plaster and ceramic. Embedded in the surface and visible beneath the exposed ribs is detritus from the artist’s studio, including a cigarette pack. In the figure’s hand is an empty iPhone box forever affixed to the body. Including objects associated with the artist’s studio and daily life, the sculpture reflects Weisberg’s own environment and offers a snapshot of his identity.

Derek Weisberg, Pre-emptive Nostalgia for the Possible but Doubtful, 2016, plaster, ceramic and studio detritus, photo courtesy Trotter&Sholer and Shark Senesac.

The figure appears to have been both added to and subtracted from—reworked over time as the artist decided which fragments and materials should be chipped away and which should be preserved in the surface. This clear sense of the artist’s process suggests a catharsis and casting off of certain elements. The materials that remain and those that were removed contribute to the whole, just as the experiences in life—those that are ephemeral and those that remain with us—impact our entire persona. Moreover, much like the human condition, there is a sense of mutability, as if the imperfections retain the potential to change over time.

Derek Weisberg, “The Alchemy of Unexpected Meetings IV,” 2020, mixed media, ink, china marker, graphite and oil pastel on paper mounted over fabric, photo courtesy Trotter&Sholer and Shark Senesac.

While Weisberg is known for his ceramic and sculptural works, the show also includes a series of new, mixed media collages. Made from found-imagery, repurposed materials, and the artist’s own drawings, the collages all take the form of abstracted faces. In The Alchemy of Unexpected Meetings IV (2020), Weisberg has combined clippings of colored paper and patterns with a partial drawing of a human face and eyes. The bottom half of the head reveals a found image of a bearded classical sculpture, a nod to the artist’s own sculptural practice within the centuries-long discipline.

Though exploring the fragility of human experiences and identity, the works in the show achieve a sense of well-wrought accomplishment. With elements of previous creations and imagery that explores the material culture of the artist’s own environment, Weisberg offers a dynamic, layered reflection of personal history and a sensitive exploration of the delicate fluidity of life.

Derek Weisberg, I’ve Done Too Much Slithering, I’m Now Claiming Skies

Trotter&Sholer, New York

April 29 – June 9, 2021