Philip Colbert
PROFILE
Philip Colbert’s energetic work has received international acclaim in galleries and museums worldwide for his new approach to pop art and art history.
The cartoon lobster seen in Colbert’s works is like his alter ego. Colbert is inspired by Salvador Dalí’s Lobster Telephone, and the basic concept is to sublimate the surrealist conception into the realm of pop art by becoming the alter ego of the lobster himself. Colbert has said, “I became an artist when I became a Lobster.”
His works are filled with symbols from mass culture, which are depicted in a pop style, but the subjects themselves are rooted in history painting, placing his work in the context of art history. Colbert’s aim is to connect contemporary themes such as digital culture and mass culture with history painting and contemporary art theory, exploring these relationships within his works.
Because of these characteristics, he is often referred to as the ” godson of Andy Warhol” and has been praised as a contemporary pop master by art world figures such as Charles Saatchi and Simon De Pury.
Colbert began his career as a painter in earnest in 2017 with his first solo show at Saatchi Gallery in London. In just a few years, he held large-scale exhibitions at a high pace in Tokyo, Shanghai, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Since then, he has continued to present exhibitions in European countries and North America on an even larger scale.
In 2021, he created an imaginary city named Lobsteropolis in the virtual space of the Internet in conjunction with an exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in London. He made the following remarks about the series of activities.
“With the rise of NFT, the digital art movement is now a tidal wave, and so many new ideas are possible. Never before has a generation been able to so radically shift artistic possibilities.”
Colbert has continued to energetically present his work both in physical exhibitions and through virtual platforms and video games. His activities in the virtual space have become an important element in the development of his art-making.
BIOGRAPHY
1979 Born in Scotland
M.A. in Philosophy, University of St Andrews
PAST EXHIBITIONS
Solo Exhibitions (Selected)：
2025 “Coastal Fantasia” Macao Cultural Centre, Macao, China
2025 “PHILIP COLBERT” tHE GALLERY OMOTESANDO, Tokyo
2024 “The Battle for Lobsterpolis” Saatchi Gallery, London
2024 “The Myth of the Lobster Planet” K11 Art Mall, Shenyang, China
2024 “Journey to the Lobster Planet” White Stone Gallery, Singapore
2024 “House of the Lobster” at museo archeologico nazionale di Napoli, Napoli, Italy
2023 “Journey the Lobster Planet Taipei” White Stone Gallery, Taipei, China
2023 “House of the Lobster – from Pompeii to Venice” Patricia Low Venezia, Venice, Italy
2023 “The Lobster Empire in Treviso” 21 Gallery, Treviso, Italy
2023 “Lobsteropolis, Pearl Lam Galleries” M5 Gallery, Tokyo
2023 “Singapore Art Week 2023”, Saatchi Gallery, Singapore
2022 “Journey to the Lobster Planet” Karuizawa New Art Museum, Karuizawa, Japan
2022 “Dreams of Lobsteropolis” a5 Pearl Lam Galleries, Shanghai, China
2022 “The Lobster Empire in Rome” Museo di San Salvatore, Lauro, Rome, Italy
2022 “The Lobster Empire in Rome” Via Veneto, Rome, Italy
2022 “Lobstars in Saint Paul de Vence” De Buck Gallery, Saint Paul de Vence, Italy
2022 “Lobster Wonderland” at IFS in Changsha, China
2022 “Lobstars in Venice” Venice Hotel, Venice, Italy
2021 “Collaboration Paintings +” Sho+1, Tokyo
2021 “Lobster Land” Sejong Museum of Art, Seoul
2020 “Lobsterpolis” Saatchi Gallery, London
2020 “Lobster Land” Whitestone Gallery, Taipei, China
2020 “Lobster Land” Patricia Low Contemporary, GSTAAD, Switzerland
2020 “Lobster Land” Gallery Structura, Sofia, Bulgaria
2019 “Lobster Land” Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, Russia
2019 “Lobster Land” Gallery Simon, Seoul
2019 “Lobster Land” Whitestone Gallery, Hong Kong
2019 “Hunt Paintings” Saatchi Gallery, Los Angeles
2018 “Hunt Paintings” Saatchi Gallery, London
2018 “New Paintings” Galerie Nichido, Tokyo
2018 “Wavelength” Powerlong Museum, Shanghai
2017 “New Paintings” Saatchi Gallery, London
Group Exhibitions (Selcted)：
2025 “Faces – Expressions Through the Face” Sho+1, Tokyo
2025 “ART FAIR TOKYO 19” Sho+1, Tokyo
2024 “ART FAIR TOKYO 2024” Sho+1, Tokyo
2023 “artKYOTO” Sho+1, Tokyo
2022 “art stage OSAKA” Sho+1, Osaka
2022 “Illusion of Reality” GINZA TSUTAYA BOOKS FOAM COMTEMPORARY, Tokyo
2022 “ART FAIR TOKYO 2022” Sho+1, Tokyo
2021 “ART FAIR TOKYO 2021” Sho+1, Tokyo
2020 “artTNZ” Sho+1, Tokyo
2019 “ART FAIR TOKYO 2019” Sho+1, Tokyo
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