Holding expertise in multiple disciplines in the field of art is what many artists aspire for, but fail to achieve. Daniel Popper is one such artist who can truly be called a multidisciplinary artist since he has mastery not only over installation art and public art but also over stage design.
One look at Popper’s mammoth installations will show what an extraordinary sculptor he is. Little wonder his larger-than-life physical installations adorn festivals around the globe, such as the Afrikaburn in South Africa, Boom Festival in Portugal, Electric Forest festival in the USA, and Rainbow Serpent festival in Australia.
Popper, born in Johannesburg, South Africa, relocated to Cape Town, South Africa with his family at the age of 19. Here he got the opportunity to enroll in Michaelis School of Fine Arts from where he graduated Fine Arts with honors. Initially, he honed his artistic skills in oil painting and figure drawing.
It was after Popper participated in the 2007 edition of Afrikaburn, a regional Burning Man affiliate event, that he gave serious thought to installations and performing arts. His first noteworthy work was at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where he performed with his puppets in several fan parks around the country.
Popper diversified into stage and production design after being commissioned for Boom Festival in Portugal. It was his festival stage designs that caught the eye of the international media and catapulted him to fame, bringing more such work to him. One such project was the 13-meter tall ‘Shaman’ installation made from wood, steel, and rope. Today, he continues to delight his audience around the world with his innovative techniques in stage design.
Popper also has many corporate projects under his belt, where he uses his artistic talents to promote their brands. For MTN, he has created 14 gigantic Pop Puppets for the official FIFA Fan Parks; for Siemens, he built a sculpture for Nelson Mandela School of Science and Technology; and many more.
The full range of Daniel Popper sculptures can be seen on his website and his Instagram page where he enjoys a viewership of over 119,000.
