Dan Droz: May 2021
Dan Droz: May 2021
Dan Droz, a native Pittsburgher, grew up with tools and magic words. His father had a shop in the basement, so no problem finding a hammer. Then, as a teenager, Droz became interested in magic, fascinated by the two simultaneous realities: what you see…and what’s really happening – which has significantly influenced a principal theme of his work, the fallacy of perception – what you see is not all that is going on. Droz attended Harvard College, double majoring in both the History of Science and Visual Studies, which isn’t such a bad combination since both fields are about trial and error, basically failing your way to success. There he was mentored by Toshirio Katayama, an internationally known designer and sculptor, eventually becoming his assistant. After graduation and a brief stint in New York as a guest editor at Mademoiselle magazine, Droz returned to Pittsburgh to form the eponymous Dan Droz Designs (later, Droz Marketing), developing cool stuff for an international client base and later taught in the College of Fine Art at CMU. In 2018, he retired from his design career to devote full time to sculpture, becoming, overnight, the oldest emerging artist on his block and incorporating his characteristic folds, reflection, and artificial glows to draw attention to the limits of perception. His work has been shown in numerous solo and juried exhibitions and has received wide recognition.
Statement
Droz’s work explores the boundaries between two and three dimensions, calling attention to the limits of perception. Using novel methods of folding and forming metal, glass, wire mesh and polymers with reflective surfaces and sinuous forms, Droz’s sculptures reference the ‘layers’ of understanding the world around us.
“Looking back over this oeuvre, one thing is clear: Droz has not felt constricted by two dimensions. In space Droz feels sure of himself, in space he finds himself, in space he is established.” –Kurt Shaw, art critic
“Dan Droz’s work rewards the curious and probing inquiry of imaginative and active looking. It’s a rich and expanding experience.” –Todd Keyser, Curator/Gallery Director, Harlan Gallery, Seton Hill University
Upcoming Projects: His work will be featured in the first solo artist show in the renovated Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Exhibition Space, May 20-June26, and is currently working on a commission for a 4’ x 20’ sculptural mural.
