Phil Vanderhyden

Phil Vanderhyden is an Assistant Professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. His practice spans painting, sculpture, curation, writing, forensic art-making, animation, and performance, with a focus on contrasting modes of attention and interdisciplinary exploration. Notably, he reconstructed lost works by video artist Gretchen Bender, including her 50-foot sculpture 'People In Pain' for the 2014 Whitney Biennial.

Education:

• BFA, University of Wisconsin, Madison (2001)
• MFA, Northwestern University (2004)

Research & Practice: Vanderhyden’s work bridges historical media art (e.g., 1980s video art) with contemporary digital tools, exploring themes like media landscape shifts and the fusion of horror aesthetics, role-playing games, and theater. His animations use cutting-edge software to unify disparate visual worlds, such as casino aesthetics and disaster movies.

Exhibitions & Recognition: Works have been showcased at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and The Front International Triennial. Coverage includes The New York Times, Artforum, and Art in America.

Grants & Advising: No grants or student advising details are explicitly mentioned in the text.