Gilbert, John

John Gilbert (b. 1966, New York) was raised in New York City. He had an early love of ceramic sculpture which he pursued at Skidmore College, with a particular interest in mineral glazes and color interaction. After graduation, became a master custom carpet maker and dyer, with a small factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, creating one-off works for architects and interior designers; he also became an art publisher. His artistic interests developed in a new direction, following the tsunami of 2004, in which several dear friends were lost; a variety of new projects arose, in his studio in Goa, India, focusing on what he calls Bhakti Art. John is influenced by artists such as; Marcel Duchamp, Jonathan Borofsky, Robert Indiana and Jean-Michel Basquiat.