Cole Sternberg is a conceptual artist who lives and works in Los Angeles.
His practice contemplates humanity’s existential quandary: that of being hopelessly destructive, yet forever and inevitably
linked with nature. Through varied media (including painting, sculpture, installation, performance, photography, film and
writing), Sternberg positions the aspirations of humankind against the dominant and regenerative forces of the environment
and the arbitration of time. For the artist, the conclusion is unavoidable. Human enterprises -- art, language,
history, law, and republic -- are ephemeral / illusory endeavors that attempt to reflect, parallel, and challenge the ascendency
of nature to no avail.
In recent years, Sternberg’s painting practice has centered on the environment acting as the true artist. Some pieces have
incorporated poetry, suggesting imprecise narratives or descriptions that can’t be fully apprehended through words. His
photographs interrupt time, while historical and cultural myths are pursued and deconstructed in sculptural installations
and film. These confrontations frequently materialize in instances of erasure; erasure of marks and words, erasure of
history, or the erasure of the natural environment. Sternberg’s works remain subversive in their unremitting search for
truth, noting humanity’s attempts to create beautiful permanence while failing admirably.
Sternberg has exhibited nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at the American University Museum (Washington,
DC), El Segundo Museum of Art (El Segundo, CA), Hochhaus Hansa (a Ruhr.2010 Museum, Dortmund, Germany),
Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND, Los Angeles), LA>