Daniel Arsham (b. 1980) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. and currently lives and works in New York. He studied architecture at the Design and Architecture Senior High School (DASH) and studied painting at Cooper Union, New York. After graduating college, Arsham opened an artist-run space called The House in 2007, where he showcased his architectural paintings and sculptures, marking the beginning of his career as an artist. Later in 2010, he visited Easter Island in the South Pacific Ocean to work on a commission by Louis Vuitton. There Arsham invented the concept of “fictional archaeology,” inspired by the archaeologists and mysterious artifacts from the excavation site. Arsham began to create molds out of devices that were a significant source of his memories, such as manual cameras, telephones, and cassette players, and cast them in minerals like hydrostone, glass powder, and quartz, which are then artificially corroded to look like imaginary artifacts to be discovered in the future. He also casts iconic objects from popular culture such as cartoon characters, and a basketball, and reproduces classical Greek and Roman sculptures, thereby building his own universe without being limited to any one genre.

Arsham, who believes that art should be approachable, has gained fame and connected with a large audience by collaborating with many different artists and brands. He designed the stage for the legendary American choreographer Merce Cunningham, worked with Pharrell Williams, as well as many high-end brands like Tiffany & Co., Dior, and Porsche. Arsham currently works in many different fields - he established an architecture firm called Snarkitecture, fashion brand Objects IV Life, and furniture brand Objects for Living.