We Were Not Made To Be Content, 2025 Sculpture

James Gilbert is a Los Angeles-based sculptor whose practice investigates how material objects construct authority, mediate historical truth, and shape collective memory. Working primarily with carved wood, Gilbert creates figurative sculptures that masquerade as archaeological relics while exposing the fragility of evidence in an era of contested truths and weaponized misinformation. Gilbert's work has been exhibited at Dallas Contemporary, Torrance Art Museum, 4Ground Midwest Land Art Biennial, San Diego Art Institute, and internationally in South Korea, China, Colombia, Denmark, and France. He has participated in residencies at Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, CentralTrak at The University of Texas at Dallas, Pitzer College, and University of British Columbia. His work has been supported by grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation, City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, and The Danish Arts Council. Critical reception includes reviews in ArtForum, Hyperallergic, Artillery, The Huffington Post, and Sculpture Magazine. Gilbert's recent work addresses urgent questions about misinformation, historical narratives, and epistemological authority, creating objects that simultaneously invite belief and demand skepticism. His sculptures challenge viewers to reconsider their relationship to physical evidence in a moment when fabricated narratives gain institutional authority.