Alex Da Corte

Unpacking the popular culture, fine art and Americana references at the heart of Da Corte's Rubber Pencil Devil, on the occasion of his new Glenstone commission

This volume accompanies Venezuelan American artist Alex Da Corte's (born 1980) ambitious 2025 presentation at Glenstone Museum. It marks the first installation of Rubber Pencil Devil (Hell House) (2022), a 17-foot-tall neon-covered house commissioned by Glenstone that holds Da Corte's groundbreaking video work Rubber Pencil Devil (2018), originally presented at the 57th Carnegie International. At nearly three hours long, the video is composed of 57 vignettes that reflect on the concept of "America" through uncanny, tender and at times violent scenes. Including previously unpublished archival documents alongside comprehensive new photographs of costumes, props and installations, this volume marks the first in-depth study of Rubber Pencil Devil. Ingrid Schaffner and David Getsy expand upon Da Corte's artistic trajectory over the past two decades, while author Simon Wu uses the artwork as a point of creative departure for an original piece of fiction.