Scottish-born, London-based artist Philip Colbert is known for his paintings and site-specific installations that combine pop-culture tropes with high art. His work is often represented by a cartoon lobster, which serves as his alter ego. Colbert’s current exhibition, ‘The Lost Gardens of Lobsteropolis’, is on display at Woking’s Lightbox Gallery Museum until 1 November.
A separate exhibition, ‘Philip Colbert in Pompeii: Pop Mythology’, features over 30 sculptures within the archaeological setting of Pompeii. This project was inspired by the site’s own art, particularly the lobster mosaic in the House of the Faun. The exhibition will run until 2027.
Early Influences
Colbert’s early influences include the music of Nirvana and Paul Simon. He recalls listening to his mother’s cassette tapes, featuring the Pretty Woman soundtrack and Simon’s Graceland, on repeat as a child. The first album he purchased himself was Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York, at the age of 13 or 14.
The book that had a significant impact on Colbert was Friedrich Nietzsche’s Human, All Too Human. He discovered it at 17, and it sparked a new sense of agency and creativity within him. Colbert also appreciates the quotation ‘If you change the way you look at something, the object changes,’ which emphasizes the viewer’s creative power.
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Artistic Inspirations
Colbert is currently obsessed with Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, which he finds to be a complex and intense work. He is also inspired by the drawings of antiquity and the medieval period, citing their intensity, originality, and narrative depth. The spirit of punk rock, he notes, is not a new phenomenon, but rather a continuation of a long history of creative expression.
One of Colbert’s favorite movies is The Shining, which he considers a masterpiece of art. He has also been influenced by his travels, including a stay at the K11 Artus hotel in Hong Kong, where he had a private swimming pool on the roof. The cityscape of Hong Kong, with its mountains and water, left a lasting impression on him.
Collecting and Creating
Colbert has been collecting coins from Ancient Greece and Rome, specifically those featuring lobsters. He is also a fan of Eduardo Paolozzi, a Scottish pioneer of Pop Art, and has been collecting his work. Colbert admires the telephone box as an icon of British culture and a symbol of new technology, even inspiring time-traveling devices in science fiction.
Colbert’s favorite place in the world is Rome, which he describes as an ‘ancient organism that is still living.’ He is drawn to the city’s rich history, architecture, and cultural significance. The Pantheon, in particular, has had a profound impact on him, with its unique blend of ancient and modern elements.
