Artist’s Biography
Tom Fruin (born 1974, Los Angeles)is a contemporary American sculptor. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York City. Fruin graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in 1996. Known for his large scale installations, Fruin most commonly uses steel and highly colored plexiglass to create monumental sculptures referencing local building structures. He describes his drive to make art that is publicly accessible, as well as sustainable by working with reclaimed materials and alternative energy. Fruin’s largest installation to date, the Watertower series, is installed on multiple rooftops across New York City and around the country. Other large scale work has been exhibited in public plazas in Prague, Vienna, Copenhagen, South Korea, and throughout the United States.
Interview
Artist: Tom Fruin
In your pieces, the brightly colored houses convey joy and rebirth. What do you remember from your childhood home in L.A.?
I grew up at the beach in California; I clearly remember the warmth of the sun and the endless sky. My mom used to time our dinners to coincide with the sunset. The colors from our dining room table were endless and dramatic.
In recent years, your sculptures have become New York icons, resembling structures like houses, water towers, and windmills. How did you choose to specialize in representational sculptures?
I find inspiration in the city, often modeling my work on overlooked infrastructure. Even if they are not typically considered attractive, functional structures like water towers, barns, windmills, billboards, and smokestacks can somehow embody the spirit of a place. I see the water towers as a touch of humanity in hard-edged New York; in contrast to the rest of the city, they are round, made of wood, and full of water–almost a stand-in for the human body.
Matt Canada
Your artworks are typically made using found plexiglass, reclaimed steel, and other materials. What is the creative process that brings a sculpture to life? What was the inspiration behind the concept?
The patterns and colors in the large Icon works are an extension of found object quilts that I’ve made. In an attempt to understand the city, I began collecting small bits of detritus on walking trips and organizing them into compositions. Quilts I initially imagined to be abject societal commentaries, ended up being fragile windows into our humanity and a celebration of life’s vitality! My large metal and acrylic sculptures attempt to monumentalize this exuberance. I use the quilts and found signage as inspiration for the patterns so the history of the material shines through and gives the work an added depth of lived experience.
Can you explain how you use light to create these projections?
I’d have to say the sun is the best light; it traces colorful projections around the sculpture as it tracks across the sky. However, at night the sculptures are transformed into beacons of kaleidoscopic color with the internal lights. I especially like to use programmed lights so the pieces seem to have a life of their own.
Your works appear in numerous public buildings and installations throughout NYC and in public places in other states. Where else in the world would you like to exhibit your works?
I love placing works in unexpected locations and reaching an unsuspecting audience. I look for sites that have a direct dialogue with the art. Sometimes it is nature, but increasingly I’m enjoying the urban environment as a backdrop for my art.
What things are essential in your atelier?
We listen to a lot of music in the studio: all genres. The pieces are complicated and labor intensive, and we fabricate them ourselves so I spend a lot of time in the studio. We need the music to keep going!
Editor: Kristen Evangelista
