Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Robert Obier, architect, artist

“From the earliest efforts of Egyptian civilization to the most extreme digital sci-fi creations of today, the breadth and exuberance of humankind's creative capacity is incredible.“

Atlantis 2.0, 2025, Mixed Media on Wood, Courtesy of the artist

Your career path is unusual for a sculptor. You trained as both an architect and an industrial designer. Does your creative process begin with an artistic vision or with a structural, design-related problem?

No matter the particular statement or purpose, my work is always at the core a study of a form language. The various shapes of the components and how these parts are related and interconnected ultimately combine to create a completely resolved and unified object. I have developed an organizational discipline that is the structural basis of the work. I find inspiration from the entire history of human invention. From the earliest efforts of Egyptian civilization to the most extreme digital sci-fi creations of today, the breadth and exuberance of humankind's creative capacity is incredible. I draw from this limitless source of inspiration and assemble the work in accordance with the dictates of the organizational discipline while employing a variety of construction technologies.

Your sculptures often look like archaeological finds from other worlds. How did you arrive at this aesthetic? 

I am often drawn to the primary shapes of the transportation world. Designers sometimes call these “speed-forms.” Many times these shapes seem futuristic or at least unidentifiable. I use various weathering techniques to achieve the patina of age or even rust at times. We identify these finishes as something old or even ancient. This seems to suggest the piece has a mysterious story rooted in the past. I like to refer to this process as revealing the scars of a past life.

You use CNC milling and 3D modelling to create your complex forms. Where do you see the moment of creation: in the mathematical calculation or in the manual finishing of the surface?

Every piece begins with a very rough thumbnail sketch. For me, this is where the magic really happens. A creative spark is transmitted from the mind through the hand to the paper. Everything that follows this moment of inspiration is a matter of execution.

Dynamo XL, 2021, Mixed Media on Wood, Courtesy of the artist

Primus Deco, 2022, Mixed Media on Wood, Courtesy of the artist

Your works are currently installed in the $135 million Villa Siena in Bel-Air. Can you tell our readers about this project?

I met the owner/architect/builder at the LA Art Show, and I was able to personally bring the piece to the Bel Air property for installation. The house is around 37,000 SqFt, has a 270 degree view of the city of Los Angeles and contains many technology marvels. My work is in some incredible company, with other installed artworks by the likes of Damien Hurst and Marco Olivier. 

Your sculptures often look as though they could be a machine or a component. Is that intentional?

Yes and no. A machine is composed of a series of components working in unison to perform a specific purpose. The same is somewhat true with my art pieces. I would say there is a shared fundamental methodology that is implemented for differing objectives and results.

“Perhaps largely as a result of the influence of Steve Jobs at Apple, the tech industry is highly sensitive to and focused on matters of design, human interaction and emotional connections to the products they develop.“

How do you explain the fact that tech founders, in particular, respond to your art?

During my graduate studies at Art Center, I had the opportunity to meet and observe some of the most impressive minds in the tech industries, from both the creative side and the technology side. Perhaps largely as a result of the influence of Steve Jobs at Apple, the tech industry is highly sensitive to and focused on matters of design, human interaction and emotional connections to the products they develop. I find a particularly relevant talking point to be the notion that design is storytelling, that when a design really connects with us it seems to have origins in some meaning of shared memory. I endeavor to achieve this same connection through my work and I believe this may provide a nexus with individuals of a similar mind who may exist in any of the creative fields.

“With the dawn of the age of AI, it is completely impossible to even hope we can imagine that far away time.“

What would you like people to say about your art in 300 years’ time?

With the dawn of the age of AI, it is completely impossible to even hope we can imagine that far away time. I create my pieces hoping they seem to inhabit the past, present and future in some mysterious way. It would be nice if the work was to always engender that kind of reaction. 

Dynamo XL, 2021, Mixed Media on WoodCourtesy of the artist

Dynamo XL, 2021, Mixed Media on WoodCourtesy of the artist

Iron Shield, 2021, Mixed Media on Wood, Courtesy of the artist

Industrial Deco, 2022, Mixed Media on Wood, Courtesy of the artist