LIFESTYLE
GIMME SHELTER Photographer and multidisciplinary artist David Drebin on the transitory nature of home. By Yuki Hayashi
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hen we speak on the phone, David Drebin is at home, sort of. It is early July and the New York–based photographer and multidisciplinary artist is spending the summer in Toronto, where he was born and raised. But, he stresses, he is not here for R&R, taking it easy or chilling. “I don’t really relax and unwind, or take a break, because I love what I do,” he says. He’s working on post-production in Canada. Then he hits the road again. “I’m here for two months and I’m happy I’m not going on a plane,” says Drebin. But then he rattles off his itinerary at a staccato pace. “Come September, I’m going to Istanbul. I’m going to Paris in November. I’m going to Berlin. I’m going to make images all over Italy. I’m going back to Miami from December until April for all these art fairs. Then my book comes out in March or April [2019]. Then I’m having shows in Munich and Berlin.” Over the course of our conversation, it becomes apparent the esteemed artist is at home — everywhere and nowhere. When he isn’t living out of a suitcase, Drebin divides his time between Toronto and his adopted hometown of New York City. For him, home is work, and work is about crafting fantasies. (Drebin’s photography in particular is coveted by collectors for its trademark over-the-top sheen of sex, ostentation and luxurious ennui.) >
RIGHT: Ten Seconds Before, 2008, by David Drebin. 2008. Photographed in the California desert. David Drebin is represented by the Galerie de Bellefeuille in Toronto.
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