A SPLASH OF TIME

Daniel Arsham was in Singapore with Hublot to reveal their second horological collaboration. We speak to the contemporary American artist about his relationship with time.

- FARHAN SHAH

I FIRST CAME ACROSS Daniel Arsham in 2020 when the Internet exploded with images of weathered Pokémon sculptures. Pikachu, Charmander, and other notable monsters from Ash Ketchum's universe experienced the signature Arsham effect—decay over a thousand years but revealing a crystallised brilliance.

Arsham had already made his presence felt in the art world. But this collaboration between him and The Pokémon Company catapulted him into first-name status (LeBron, Prince, Cher, etc.) in the public’s consciousness. Naturally, luxury brands including Hublot gravitated towards him.

The partnership between him and the watchmaker happened through sheer coincidence—and a Singapore connection. Eight years ago, “or so”, Arsham met Michael Tay, managing director of The Hour Glass, in Singapore for a project. During the conversation, he asked Tay to recommend interesting companies he could work with, who introduced him to Hublot.

“His thinking was that there was already so much reference to time in my work. A lot of my work is about our perception of time and where we fit within it. I take something from the past and the future and combine them in my work. It creates confusion but that is the feeling I wanted to portray in my work. So, it would be a natural progression for me to work on a watch,” says Arsham.