Walter Robinson
B. 1950
American
Walter Robinson’s artistic practice delves into the intricate workings of cultural and social anthropology, unraveling the human subconscious and biological impulses concealed beneath the trappings of social, political, religious, and capitalist systems.
Growing up during the Cold War era of the 1950s, Robinson was exposed to the stark contrast between the facade of happy consumerism and the underlying threat of disaster. He felt compelled to reconcile these extremes through his artwork, which often juxtaposes positivity and dark imaginings and serves as his means of digesting and understanding a multitude of internal and external complexities.
Robinson’s thought-provoking piece, Ransome, was created while living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The sculpture was carved from a fallen tree in Golden Gate Park’s Arboretum in San Francisco and is likely an Australian tree species. Salvaged wood plays a significant role in his work as a means of exploring humanity’s paradoxical tendency to act against its own best interests. The iconic image of a hand grasping a sack of money, resembling both an archetype and a cartoon, represents several intertwined concepts, including privilege, abundance, and greed. Yet, upon closer examination, it may also symbolize hard work, reward, or generosity – the act of relinquishing wealth. The interpretation of this iconography unveils our complex relationship with amassed wealth and capitalist culture.
Robinson’s artworks have been showcased at numerous art institutions, such as the Palo Alto Art Center, the San Jose Museum of Art, the New Mexico Museum of Art, and the Djerassi Foundation, among others. He holds an MFA program from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco and studied at the California College of Arts and the San Francisco Academy of Art. Robinson currently lives and works in Lamy, New Mexico.
