Daniel Firman was born in Bron, France on August 20, 1966. He completed his studies on art first at École Supérieure d’Art et Design de Saint-Étienne and later at ÉESI - Écoles d’art d’Angoulême.
Firman, with his colorful, cheerful and chaotic-looking sculptures, critically reflects on the socio-economical state of today's world triggered by a rapidly developing global capitalism after 1980 and the political revolutions triggered by it, the global mass media, economic inequality, transformations in the music and fashion industry and the shaping of today's popular culture. He brings a sociological interpretation to humanity, which finds itself in the midst of an ever-changing and of limitlessly produced "objects", as well as investigating the relationship of man with these objects. "Attitude" and "Saisir L'impossible" are two series in which he questions the relationship of people with the modern world, with technology and with one another among all this chaos, as well as the limits and fluidness of mankind. With his surprising, hyper-realistic sculptures, Firman reinterprets the perception of space and the relationship between humans and animals in a similar context gravity.
Firman, who technically defies the limits of both art and himself as an artist, exhibits an experimental attitude with different materials from ready-made objects to polyurethane, bronze and clay. His works which are categorized in series, at times make the use of molds of real persons bodies, clothes, objects and accessories to reach hyper-realistic depictions. At other times, Firman re-assembles deformed human bodies relying on his imagination and hence 'captures the impossible'. All these sculptures convey today's state of humanity, the world of objects and nature from Firman's sight.
Daniel Firman lives and works in Istanbul and Bordeaux.
The artist has participated in exhibitions in many institutions including Centre Pompidou (France); Palais de Tokyo-Château de Fontainebleau (France); The Eli&Edythe Broad MSU Art Museum (USA); Monnaie de Paris (France); Kunsthalle (Austria); National Gallery of Australia (Australia); Museo de Bellas Artes (Spain); Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon (France); Arken Modern Art Museum (Denmark); Siège d'Arte Strazburg (France); Centre d'Art Contemporain de Meymac (France); La Chambre Blanche (Canada); Espace d'Art Contemporain d'HEC (France); FRAC Bourgogne (France) and Espace d'Art Contemporain de la ville de Paris (France).