Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, David Aliperti was immersed in nature throughout his childhood. Wild and isolated, using the materials readily found at hand; he made art from a young age by shredding paper and leaves; stacking objects to form small sculptures. Aliperti describes his upbringing in Brazil as steeped in folklore and mysticism; an experience that blurs the boundaries of the material and the spiritual realms.

David Aliperti (He/ Him)

Sculptor

SoMad Artist In Residence 2024

In search of opportunity, Aliperti moved to the US alone at the age of 17. His immersion into US culture was initially stark and extremely challenging. He first landed in Kansas, then Massachusetts and ultimately in New York City. Aliperti wanted to be able to convey his ideas effectively and accurately to others, so he first enrolled in community college night school, to study English while working full-time. In NYC, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) followed by Polimoda in Florence, Italy to complete his undergraduate studies. Impressed by his talent and potential, the prestigious Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, France, awarded Aliperti a full scholarship to pursue his Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Luxury Design. He graduated in 2007 and was immediately hired as a Design Assistant at Louis Vuitton. Aliperti then rose to the position Design Director of Concept at Oscar de la Renta whilst consulting for compelling, emerging designer brands including Collina Strada.

In his art practice, Aliperti explores how time spent and communal effort in the making of the artwork can serve to slow down the pace of the viewer’s visual experience. His current series titled Mother Tree includes sculptures molded by hand from repurposed paper paste, a foam composite that is very lightweight yet buildable. This material choice enables new, gravity defying, flora to ascend almost weightlessly. These sculptures require many hours of meditative handwork; to sculpt the numerous individual petals, leaves and stems that come together to form the whole of each sculpture. Aliperti loves traces of that handwork via fingerprints and nail marks to remain.

The process of making this work is intentionally labor intensive and slow. Aliperti wants the viewer to be challenged by the notion that a small object can contain so many hours of labor. His process emphasizes the value of human connection. Aliperti explores cycles of life, death, rebirth and reconfiguration in his work. He views the human imprint as both tangible and ephemeral. In these patterns of repetition, he finds universality; that systems repeat on micro and macro scales across all forms of life. Aliperti takes comfort in this transience. His work is not a monument to a sole maker but rather an encapsulation of communal effort and time spent together. The work is also an invitation to the viewer; to create on their own terms and to join with others collaboratively.