Using emerging technologies and traditional sculptural practices, Atlanta artist Justin Archer creates his figurative wood sculptures with a pixelated effect.
Artist: Originally from Denton, TX, Archer received his MFA in 2016 from the University of North Texas. In addition to creating his work, Archer teaches at SCAD Atlanta.
Company/studio: Justin W. Archer has been based in Atlanta since 2019. The artist has a woodshop and studio in the basement of his home in southwest Atlanta.
In the beginning: Right after high school, Archer visited the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, where he saw an outdoor sculpture by Jonathan Barofsky, “Walking to the Sky.” The sculpture depicts a number of different people scaling a soaring 100-foot-tall stainless steel pole.
“It was the first time I saw the work of an artist who was still living and working,” said Archer. “I was immediately struck with the possibility that this was a path one could take in life.”
Art & materials: Life-size figurative sculptures in wood, using basswood and walnut and acrylic ($500 and up).
Process:
- Beginning with 3D scanned data, Archer digitally manipulates captured forms to serve as references before being realized in wood.
- Laminates pieces of wood, horizontally and vertically.
- Uses a chainsaw to remove large sections of the extra wood, but the majority of the process is hand carving with chisels.
See his various process reels at: jwarcher.com.
Inspirations: Many, including:
- Fragmented sculptures from Greek and Roman history and the Winged Victory of Samothrace to lesser-known artifacts.
- Architecture from Greek and Roman history, which was the visual language he worked from for a 2023 exhibition entitled, “Weathered Patterns,” at RO2 Art Gallery in Dallas.
- Artists, including Antony Gormley, Aron Demetz, and Makoto Fujimura.
Special commission: A hand-carved wood figurative sculpture/chandelier, which hangs near the lobby elevators in the Thompson Buckhead-Atlanta boutique hotel (pictured at right).
Recent honor: Included in a 2023 group exhibition, “Gathered VI,” at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA) in Atlanta.
What’s next: A solo show at Day & Night Projects, an artist-run gallery near downtown Atlanta, in late 2024 (date TBA).
Where to buy: jwarcher.com
Get social: Instagram: @j.w.archer
