Playful and plaintive, sincere and satiric, Darren Bader’s take on sculpture has been called “immodestly heterodox” and “dead-end Modernist deadpan”. Some people find his work funny. He less frequently does, but can take a compliment. Bader has gained recognition for food sculpture, selling money, found-object fetish, mismanaged fauna, and failing to launch sculptures into outer space. He has worked in AR since 2019.

Solo presentations include: Whitney Museum of American Art; Sadie Coles HQ, London; Blum & Poe, Los Angeles; Galleria Franco Noero, Turin; Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York; Museo Madre, Naples; Kölnischer Kunstverein; MoMA PS1, New York. Group exhibitions include: Mudam; Biennale di Venezia #58; Hammer Museum; Power Station; Kunsthalle Wien; Serralves; Palais de Tokyo; PS1; MoCA. He is the recipient of the 2013 Calder Prize.

Bader (b. 1978, Bridgeport, CT, USA) is based in New York City. Due to the pandemic, he’s been traveling less. He adores old master paintings and sleeping-enough.

Mendes Mundi: Mends of Scott Friendes Series
CHARGE (DEV), 2019, Augmented Reality
DEATH IN VENICE, 2019, Augmented Reality
DISARM, 2019, Augmented Reality
LOVE, 2019, Augmented Reality
THE GROOM, 2019, Augmented Reality

2019
Augmented Reality

Mendes Mundi is Darren Bader’s ongoing AR project. In the artist’s words “It’s origins are particular, but just as easily forgotten.” M. Mundi brings together bestiary, flea market capitalism, senseless census, and umpteenth generation Surrealism. “It’s also a Mark di Suvero study,” says Bader.

The AR “denizens” of Mendes Mundi further the artist’s long-term interest in exploring objecthood(s) through absurdist, semi-encyclopedic, and contemporary consumerist lenses.

2022
- Apparition, PHI Center, Canada (Group exhibition)
- Kaleidoscope Eyes, Leeum Museum of Art (Seoul), South Korea (Group exhibition)
- Kaleidoscope Eyes, Ho-Am Museum of Art (Yongin), South Korea (Group exhibition)

2021
The Looking Glass, The Shed (NY), USA (Group exhibition)

2020
Unreal City x Dazed, Southbank, London (Group exhibition)