Doug & Mike Starn’s inspiration is based on the following philosophy, “The only thing that is consistent is change”. The evolution of time brings an array of interconnections that is observed at every stage of Man’s life.
The Starns’ use of unified material as their medium in their sculptures, photography and installations is a way of conveying the transformation of life, be it physical or psychological. In addition to such, the brothers work with visual perception through their use of light as a metaphor for thought, knowledge, cognitive and intelligence as well as it being a symbol for enlightenment. As such, Man, through his senses, then processes this endless restructuring of his perception of time.
Doug & Mike Starn are identical twins born in New Jersey, USA, in 1961. They both graduated in 1984 from the School of the Museum of Fine arts in Boston. The Starns have received: The Metal Award, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Starns are also recipients of the 2009 Brendan Gill Prize by the Municipal Art Society, two National Endowment for the Arts Grants in 1987 and 1995 as well as The International Center for Photography’s Infinity Award for Fine Art Photography in 1992; and, artists in residency at NASA in the mid-nineties. Major artworks by the Starns are represented in public and private collections such as SFMOMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In New York City: The Museum of Modern Art (2010), the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Jewish Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Permanent installation for the Transit South Ferry Station, to name a few. Their works have also been showcased all over the world, in Australia at The National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne), in Japan, Yokohama Museum of Art, and in France, La Bibliotèque Nationale, La Maison Européenne de la Photographie. The Starns have also exhibited at the prestigious 54th Venice Biennale and the Setouchi Triennale in 2013. Most recently, their insallation piece Big Bambú has been on view at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem since June 2014. The artists are currently based in New York.