Phil America

{{short description|American artist|bot=PearBOT 5}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2018}}

{{Infobox artist

| name = Phil America

| image = Phil_America_Photo.jpg

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1983}}

| birth_place = Sacramento, California, U.S.

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| nationality = American

| field = Conceptual artworks

| movement = Contemporary art

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}}

Phil America (born 1983){{Cite web|url=https://goodmenproject.com/author/phil-america/|title=Phil America, Author at The Good Men Project|website=The Good Men Project|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-13}} is an American artist who creates conceptual artworks mixed with design and photography.

His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in the US,{{Cite web|url=http://camraleigh.org/2015/12/phil-america-failure-of-the-american-dream/|title=Phil America: Failure of the American Dream « CAM Raleigh|website=camraleigh.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-13}} Bangkok,{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2014/jul/07/slum-vacation-plutocrat-art-poverty-phil-america|title=The artist who took a 'slum vacation' to Thailand's biggest shanty town|last=Jones|first=Jonathan|date=July 7, 2014|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-02-13}} Seoul{{Cite news|url=http://cicamuseum.com/contemporary-landscape/|title=Contemporary Landscape|date=May 29, 2017|work=CICA|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US}} and other cities around the world.{{Cite web|url=http://publicartfestival.gr/|title=Public Art Festival: Survival|website=publicartfestival.gr|language=el|access-date=2018-03-19}}{{Cite news|url=https://publicdelivery.org/phil-america-the-nefarious-face-of-chinatown/|title=Artist takes dangerous trip to Bangkok's underworld – Public Delivery|date=September 20, 2013|work=Public Delivery|access-date=2018-03-19|language=en-US}} He has created temporary installations at an abandoned platform beneath a New York City subway station,{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} and on the Mexico–United States barrier as well as other works in public space.

Work

Dating back to his roots in graffiti,{{Cite web|url=https://montanashoplisboa.com/galeria/28/phil_america|title=Montana Shop Lisboa – Galeria Phil America|website=Galeria Phil America|access-date=2018-02-13}} America has created art in public space as well as documenting it in his books. In 2013 he created a fabricated living quarters in a suburb in Bangkok, later showing it in a local museum.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/print/377093/|title=Bangkok Post article|last=PCL.|first=Post Publishing|website=www.bangkokpost.com|language=en|access-date=2018-02-13}} He later created what he calls "illegal galleries" in a number of places, including on the Mexico–United States barrier,{{Cite news|url=https://massappeal.com/border-wall-art/|title=Artist Phil America Flies Immigrant Flags on the Border Wall|date=February 24, 2017|work=Mass Appeal (media)|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US}} in an abandoned New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority station{{Cite news|url=http://observer.com/2016/04/art-show-about-gun-violence-is-literally-too-dangerous-to-see/|title=The Art Show About Gun Violence That's Too Dangerous to See|date=April 26, 2016|work=New York Observer|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=http://gothamist.com/2016/04/25/photos_mta_gallery.php|title=There's An Illegal Art Installation in This Abandoned Brooklyn Subway Station|work=Gothamist|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224150007/http://gothamist.com/2016/04/25/photos_mta_gallery.php|archive-date=February 24, 2018}} and at a Los Angeles swap meet.{{Cite news|url=https://creators.vice.com/en_us/article/4x9g79/think-tank-la-diy-show-convict-ex-convict-artists|title=A Popup LA Art Space is Exclusively Showing Works by Convict and Ex-Convict Artists|date=April 11, 2017|work=Creators|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-us}}

In 2014 America spoke at a TEDx conference on the language of art and the importance of using art to make positive social changes in the world, amongst other topics.

In 2016 he lived in a museum as a part of one of his installations that was first installed illegally in a tent city in San Jose where he lived for one month.{{Cite news|url=http://www.artsnownc.com/acknowledging-america-cam/|title=At CAM, Phil America shows how he entered the 'Jungle'|date=May 7, 2016|work=ArtsNow|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US}}

Also in 2016 his work was unveiled as one of the permanent art installations at Golden 1 Center, the Sacramento Kings' new arena.{{Cite news|url=http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/article111364662.html|title=Phil America creates Golden 1 Center art out of Kings players' old shoes|work=The Sacramento Bee|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en-US|issn=0890-5738}} The work consists of hundreds of cut-up player worn basketball shoes and forms a large Kings logo.

In 2018, America collaborated with fashion designer Boris Bidjan Saberi on their Spring / Summer 2018 collection.{{Cite web|title=SS18 LOOKBOOK – 11 BY BBS|url=http://www.11bybbs.com/ss18-lookbook/|access-date=2020-08-03|language=en-US|website=11bybbs.com}}{{Cite web|title=11 by Boris Bidjan Saberi Taps Artist Phil America for Latest "A Modern Love Story" Capsule|url=https://hypebeast.com/2018/4/phil-america-11-by-boris-bidjan-saberi-a-modern-love-story-capsule-collection|access-date=2020-08-03|website=Hypebeast}}

Exhibitions

= Installations =

  • 2016: Player Edition, Golden 1 Center (Sacramento Kings NBA arena), Sacramento, USA{{Cite web|last1=Jones|first1=LeVésha|last2=Mann|first2=Emily|url=https://www.golden1center.com/news/detail/first-look-newest-art-installations|title=First Look: Newest Art Installations|website=Golden1Center|language=en|access-date=2018-02-13}}
  • 2016: Abandoned platform beneath Nevins Street station, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City{{cite web |last1=Young |first1=Michelle |title=Art Exhibit Pops Up in Abandoned Level of Nevins Street Subway Station in Brooklyn |url=https://untappedcities.com/2016/04/26/art-exhibit-pops-up-in-abandoned-level-of-nevins-street-subway-station-in-brooklyn/ |website=Untapped New York |access-date=19 June 2024 |date=26 April 2016}}
  • 2017: Bright Stars, Mexico–United States barrier{{Cite news|url=https://www.juxtapoz.com/news/installation/border-wall-turned-into-an-art-gallery/|title=Border Wall Turned into an Art Gallery|last=Nicholson|first=Alex|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en}}

= Solo exhibition =

  • 2016: Failure of the American Dream, Contemporary Art Museum of Raleigh, Raleigh, USA
  • 2016: Design of Memories, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea{{Cite web|url=https://www.widewalls.ch/artist/phil-america/|title=Phil America|website=Widewalls|access-date=2018-03-19}}
  • 2013: Above The Law, Montana Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal{{Cite web|url=https://montanashoplisboa.com/galeria/28/phil_america|title=Montana Shop Lisboa – Galeria Phil America|website=Galeria Phil America|access-date=2018-03-19}}

=Group exhibitions=

  • 2014: Journey of Voices, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok, Thailand{{Cite news|url=http://www.ilo.org/asia/events/WCMS_324754/lang--en/index.htm|title=Journey of Voices: an exhibition celebrating International Migrants Day in Thailand|date=December 2, 2014|access-date=2018-02-13|language=en}}
  • 2017: Drinkin, Smokin', & West Coastin', Think Tank Gallery, Los Angeles, USA{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
  • 2017: Contemporary Landscape, CICA Museum (Czong Institute for Contemporary Art), Seoul, South Korea

References

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