ARTIST OF THE WEEK | David Wallace Haskins of Wheaton

by Mindy Kyle

IT ALL STARTED IN 5TH GRADE FOR THIS LOCAL ARTIST

For self-taught Wheaton architectural artist, David Wallace Haskins, it all started when the “picture lady” brought some paintings by the Belgian Surrealist René Magritte to his 5th grade class. “I loved how Magritte shifted my perception of things, putting the sky in strange places, like on a wall,” says Haskins. Looking at his Skycube work on display at the Elmhurst Art Museum, he obviously never got over that.

Haskins creates experiential works using everyday elements like light, space, time and sound. He also works with experts in psychology, ecology, and physics along with likeminded artists and technicians to help him develop his experiments into immersive and interactive installations, sculptures, and architectural interventions. He explains that one of his biggest challenges is just finding the right manufacturers to help achieve his effects, whether they offer big enough equipment, skilled enough machinists or hard to acquire materials. “The Skycube took me five years to get right,” says Haskins. His hope is that he is creating a piece that can slow his audience down and awaken their curiosity and sense of wonder.

Haskins has a new solo exhibition of sculptural works coming to this area next year at the Farnsworth House in Plano. To find out more, you can sign up for his newsletter at info@dwhstudio.com or follow him on Instagram @davidwallacehaskins.

-Mindy Kyle, Photos Submitted

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