Radio Juxtapoz, ep 160: The Serpent and the Mythical World of David Altmejd

The serpent has been around for a quite some time. It’s biblical stature as the representation of the temptation of the devil to Eve in the Garden of Eden has often been part of Western thought, but the asp was a powerful symbol in ancient Egyptian culture, representing “divine authority of the pharaohs.” The serpent has been a protector and mischievous creature, chaotic and a form of order. And this is where we find Montreal-born, LA-based sculpture artist David Altmejd, on the border of chaos and order, restraint and rawness, realism and fantasy. We are in the underworld but also inverting the hierarchy of the world above it all in one.