Installation featuring works by Arnie Mueller and Maddy Prince (Image © Ardstrum 2024)

With ongoing wars, nervous financial uncertainty, and a global art market still trying to rebound from a couple of less-than-optimum years after the 2021-2022 rebound, it’s always nice to relay positive news regarding the visual arts as 2025 approaches.

Hot off the press: Ardstrum will be expanding its online presence to include works by over two dozen international artists hailing from all corners of the planet. Recent additions to the roster include Arrnier Mueller, Becker & Bonet, Buju Lynton, Hannah Metzenger, JP Paul, Libby Nguyen, Natalie Chan, Santiago Rivera, Seth Marsden, Shawn S. Perez, Yuki Chang, and Tanner Iturralde. The website will be open for online ordering before the end of the year. Until then, feel free to communicate with the consortium via their This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

After a private preview of the initial roster, we sat down with co-director Isabel Perez-Etchavarria. According to Isabel, “Ardstrum began over sixty years ago as a drop-in, on-campus art & design studio founded by a creative group of like-minded colleagues featuring visual art educators, established artists, photographers, architecture professors, as well as two generations of art journalists and historians. By the turn of the century, the consortium had grown to incorporate several similar-minded affiliations spanning four continents that collaborated to share art and design-related knowledge and resources primarily from an educational perspective."

Over time, the creative center attracted new generations of college art students searching for not only camaraderie and vigorous critiquing but also exposure to alternative theories, shared techniques, and cooperative opportunities. As a non-profit, they worked largely parallel but adrift from the mainstream commercial art market. With this impetus and support, many original members also went on to successful careers in visual arts or design.

 

Years after the original founders had passed the torch and a global pandemic temporarily paralyzed the bricks-and-mortar art market, daily reunions and shared spaces became rare. Like many other co-ops, Ardstrum pivoted sharply in 2021 to become a predominantly online/roving pop-up hybrid model with an emphasis on promoting carefully curated and under-represented artists for discerning buyers who wanted to explore artists from other continents but weren't regularly traveling to international art fairs.

Ardstrum offers collectors an exceptional lineup of contemporary art that is thought-provoking, poignant, and timeless.  They concentrate on an exclusive group of like-minded artists who believe that visual art is an integral part of enhanced living and should be ubiquitous in all of our lives rather than being reserved for only institutions and seasoned collectors. This cooperative and inclusive approach further manifests in the form of a broad offering of products for every budget, including everything from fine art originals to premium limited editions and museum-quality reproduction prints. Some of the members of the collaborative accept commissions, others will even license their artwork for special projects such as apparel, marketing materials, and one-off alternatives.

Coming to Ardstrum in 2025 (Z Editions @ Ardstrum)

Most of the artists contribute works to Ardstrum’s Z Editions print department, thus allowing the consortium to offer incredible large-format reproductions of over two meters in width or height at previously unattainable price points. Also available are exclusive originals and series of artworks from the estates of several artists, including Stig Nilsson, Marla Smythson, Nora Etchavarria and Carlos A. Perez-Franco.

As part of their pledge to create not only great visual art but also contribute toward a cleaner planet, Ardstrum artists also share the consortium’s support of several regional green initiatives.

New Artists Coming to Ardstrum in 2025

Most of Ardstrum’s signature limited editions are produced in their printing department with direct collaboration and physical involvement of the artists. When possible, open-edition prints are shipped by our partners in Canada, USA, United Kingdom, or SE Asia in order to avoid importation costs and delays, thereby fulfilling scheduled deliveries in a timely manner with either limited or no additional shipping costs to the buyer.

JP Paul uses alternative materials with analog and digital practices for installations, plus 2D works on canvas, acrylic, and paper (© JP Paul)

4 Colour Separation,  Acrylic on layered transparent films 2012. (All Images © David Shriggs)

 David Spriggs is a Mancunian born in 1978 who settled on Vancouver Island after immigrating to Canada. He has solidified his well-deserved position in the worldwide art market with stunning large-scale installations featuring either intricate layers of spray-painted transparent sheets, ink on layered transparent film, engraved transparent panels, or elaborate 3D works using layers of cut aluminum.

Over a decade before Refik Anadol and other computer artists were wowing crowds with their first-generation back-fed displays and room-filling “immersive” projections, David Spriggs was well on his way to honing a different approach to creating monumental three-dimensional works and ethereal presentations to captivate passersby. Rather than envelope the viewer with projected imagery, Spriggs’ multi-layered works maintain their physical space as true art objects and effortlessly draw viewers to them. At exhibitions, you commonly see groups circling the works within inches of the outer surfaces to engage from variable angles while peering up and down to comprehend the unique lighting and hanging methods.

From Vision II, 5x2x5 meters, Acrylic on Transparent Sheets, 2017 (© David Shriggs)

Punchy spray-painted color fields on polyester film, intricate engravings on glass sheets, and machine-carved aluminum sheets all feature technical precision with bold yet soothing emotional strength. The lighting choices combined with reflections from closely layered surfaces seem to pulsate in dimly lighted rooms while testing one’s perception and interpretations of what is real and what is imagined. Since the works are not projected, all elements are tight and sharp.

Shriggs deftly constructs installations that are compatible in a variety of settings, from opulent lobbies of traditional hotels to glimmering contemporary office spaces and homes. Structured encasings used to “hang” the layers serve to protect and maximize the depth and intricacy of the works. One swirling work from Red Gravity was repurposed as cover art and a stage backdrop for a recent tour by UK musician, Peter Gabriel, who chose the work of Spriggs over hundreds of other artists considered for the album cover.

Transparency Report, layered sheets of engraved glass 2014 (© David Shriggs)

My first exposure to Shriggs’ work was the 4 Colour Separation of 2012 (See banner above). I had assumed that the transparent layers were individually printed digitally on a large format printer; however, each layer was actually spray-painted from the center out, thus rendering the softened edges of color that produced a contemporary simulation of many of the mid-century Rothkos with equal amounts of inexplicable magnetism and ambiguity. I recalled my first visit to the red Rothkos at the Tate Modern in London. Standing a few feet in front of these towering works, the color became meaningless as you let your eyes lose focus, thereby allowing the entire surface to pulsate as elements within the field create an illusion of ebbs and flows. While the cerebral effect is similar, Spriggs’ 4CS took the opposite approach by isolating the 4 separations into distinct display cases, a stark interpretation of elemental roots from which all imagery is formed.

Aker, layered sheets of anodized aluminum 203x203cm 2023 (© David Shriggs)

Technology plays a larger role in the intricate compositions and etchings of multi-layered acrylic sheetings from Transparency Report (2014) and Logic of Control (2014). In Aker (2023) and several commissioned works installed throughout Asia, Shriggs uses computer-driven cutting technology to create massive layers of anodized aluminum to make wall sculptures, chandelier-like ceiling installations, and several trademark large-format displays. Rarely do we encounter visual artists who can span the false dichotomy between analog and digital while incorporating contemporary presentations into traditional visions so effortlessly.

Works by David Shriggs are featured in some of the finest corporate and private contemporary collections around the globe. He has exhibited extensively in most regions, with important previous events held throughout the Americas, the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Australia.

For additional information about the artist and his art, please visit the David Spriggs website at https://davidspriggs.art/

Red Gravity by David Spriggs used by Peter Gabriel as cover art and stage background 2023 (Image © David Springs)

Starting in 2007, JP Paul created several series of mixed-media works on canvas featuring diverse, story-driven messaging that were simultaneously inquisitive, thought-provoking, occasionally disturbing, and regularly misinterpreted. Partial human bodies were reduced to abstract forms and intertwined with other elements and props, including discarded mannequins, plants, flowers, pots, vases, bottles, animals, and sculpture plinths that served multiple purposes beyond their principal representational function. The original series was named “Compromised”, one of several series that comprised most of the independent artist’s output between 2007 and 2015.

Thereafter, the multi-discipline artist explored organic materials and alternative processes in purely abstract paintings and non-representational mark-making studies that featured physical applications rather than overt storylines. Toward the end of this period, a lifelong goal of writing his first novel brought with it a desire to further explore some of the original stories and statements initiated in the first Compromised series.

"Untitled VI" from the Challenging Perceptions Series. 2024, Mixed media on canvas, (60 xx 60 inches 152 x 152cm)

“Challenging Perceptions” brings JP Paul back full circle to previous studies of the forces and effects of variable perception, marginalization, and misinterpretation as they relate to the human struggle to reclaim control of one's life in the face of social and political pressures on freedoms, liberties, the rights of women, minorities, struggling families, displaced war victims, refugees, and asylum seekers. Divisions based on identity surface both contextually and visually, with many of the symbolic abstractions featuring multiple dichotomies in the form of visual chasms and contradictions between beauty and pain, power and fragility, and strength versus submission.

While some may give pause with the latent sexuality in this series, on closer examination —and after twenty years following the artist's growth — the works are celebratory and inquisitive rather than exploitative. The symbolism behind intertwined bodies, vases, and flowers represents lost opportunities, support, and respect rather than the slightest shred of misogyny. According to Paul, many of the human forms are purposely exaggerated as a counterpoint and criticism of ourselves, particularly the male gaze. Other bodies throughout all phases of the series are actually male or androgynous, thereby representing the struggles of all genders and minorities rather than only women.

"Untitled III" from the Challenging Perceptions Series. 2024, Mixed media on canvas, (100 x 60" | 254 x 152cm

According to JP Paul, "In 2007 we were planning yet another transcontinental relocation, this time to the United Kingdom. I never felt that I'd exhausted all avenues with the original Compromised series, but I was without adequate studio space to work on this magnitude of mixed-media work for well over a year. Once we resettled, other priorities dictated the path for the next few years, so I'm thrilled the stars finally aligned and I was finally able to revisit this body of work. I'm also working around the edges with smaller tangential works that relate to the core."

"Untitled IX" from the Challenging Perceptions Series. 2024, Mixed media on canvas, (80 xx 60" 205 x 152cm)

The artist gives himself a wide berth for this series in terms of content messaging as well as his application of diverse materials and techniques. Perhaps this explains the depth and breadth of what promises to be his most consequential collection to date. Better known for series that rarely surpass six to twelve pieces before Paul gets an itch to explore other ideas, "Challenging Perceptions" already includes over thirty works with more full-sized canvas works and drawings on paper to come.

JP Paul has always straddled the line between analog and digital techniques since his early days as a photojournalist when he actively explored alternative processes in both his physical darkroom and the early years of digital imaging. “Challenging Perceptions” epitomizes the artist's desire to harmonize all of the above. His canvasses are hand-primed and layered with combinations of everything from thick acrylic gels and paint to partially erased carbon markings and smudges, watercolor or chemical washes, and thin stain layers to maintain transparency and textural consistency. Some images are partially printed on the artist’s in-house printers while others are spot silkscreened or transferred via gel or acetone, all depending on the specific effects sought. Drawn portions are applied directly with acrylic markers while others are drawn with a large Cintiq tablet before printing. Certain elements, such as some of the flowers, were originally scanned live on a Heidelberg flatbed scanner before being transferred to large canvases. At over five feet by up to eight feet, they are some of JP Paul's largest works to date.

"Untitled XIII" from the Challenging Perceptions Series. 2024, Mixed media on canvas, (80 xx 60" | 205 x 152cm)

In many ways, "Challenging Perceptions" serves as a culmination of twenty years of work that embodies JP Paul's abstract, symbolic, and representational phases.

"Untitled XXI" from the Challenging Perceptions Series. 2024, Mixed media on canvas, (90 xx 60inches 225 x 152cm)

"Untitled XXX" from the Challenging Perceptions Series. 2024, Mixed media on canvas, (60 xx 60 inches 152 x 152cm)

At ART SG '24 I was pleased to receive a double dose of Malaysian-born, UK-based Mandy El-Sayegh’s collage works in the booths of two heavyweights of the international fair circuit, Lehmann Maupin and Thaddaeus Ropac.

Now in her late thirties, Mandy El Sayegh assumed a worldly approach by default. Half-Malaysian, half-Palestinian, and with a formal education and upbringing almost entirely in the United Kingdom, she has earned considerable attention on the international art scene over the past half-decade with influential exhibitions on several continents. El Sayegh is an artist whose appeal started and will remain global rather than be confined to regional pockets of interest.

While El-Sayegh’s works are deadly serious, they can appear chaotic and anxious. Nevertheless, they refuse to scream at the viewer. Instead, their predominantly muted tones and intricacy draw viewers closer by creating ongoing discourse rather than stifling it. The approach is smart and sophisticated despite surfaces that might at first glance appear hectic or random, neither of which are true on closer examination.

I've often referred to the allure of controlled chaos or calculated randomness when discussing contemporary works that I admire, dating back to Rauschenberg and some of the German expressionists. El Sayegh has this in spades. Duality of intent and purpose — both visual and contextual — are evident in the processes and results of every layer of these complex pieces.

While the artist is not imposing her will or choices upon anyone, I see Mandy’s thoughtful visual decisions as a useful twofold reminder to certain artists who may not understand why success has not come naturally to their exquisitely crafted pretty pictures, or conversely, to their in-your-face naive snark: First, artists can and often should have strong arguments and statements to share, but they never need to be offensive or condescending in their approach. Second, the art that matters in the present and survives the test of time is usually much more than endless inner-journey kabobbles, desperately needy soul searching, or constant navel-gazing. From El-Sayegh’s first forays into visual art, it’s clear that the artist recognized a role that mattered to her and also resonated across the larger picture. Her explorations, while deeply personal, are also globally relevant and automatically scaled to matter even on the largest of platforms. Indeed, recent forays into large-scale, multi-faceted installations covering every surface of entire rooms affirm to me that she recognizes her talent and her potential role.

Mandy El Sayegh in Lehman Maupin Booth @ Art SG 2024 (Image courtesy of Art SG)

El-Sayegh cleverly employs delicately shifting dichotomies as exterior conditions change. It's easy to assume that the artist would prefer that these works continue to morph and mature with age similar to open-ended works in progress. I get the sense that El-Sayegh has a difficult time letting them leave her studio. Yes, they need to breathe, they need to be free, and there's no message if nobody sees it. But like life, there is always another chapter to add as conditions are affected by new events or new approaches to old issues.

Plenty is suggested but not everything is gifted in El Sayegh's layered surfaces. The works somehow manage to simultaneously appear brazen albeit reserved, thereby offering a push-pull between what we see, what we think we know but don’t, what’s actually happening, and what’s most likely to occur far beyond what we can comfortably fathom without careful consideration of each important element.

In a short period, El Sayegh’s works have already been mentioned alongside some of the great artists who incorporated collage techniques into their oeuvres, artists who, like El Sayegh, were able to create and continue conversations in endless loops by referring not only to their own previous work in new works but also by encompassing endless outside references to enrich shared narratives. Front of mind are Picasso and Man Ray in the early 20th century to Germans like Schwitters, Hoch, and Soltau, late 20th-century American icons Rauschenberg, Kruger, and Baldessari, UK's Hockney and Hamilton, and the recent black cut-outs of Kara Walker. Although wildly dissimilar visually, there is a common thread of story capturing and morphology that runs through these artists.

Mandy El Sayegh in Lehman Maupin Booth @ Art SG 2024, Singapore (Image/AF)

While the artist has recently developed tangents into writing, installations, and performance art that tend to be more singularly focused and trimmed of the collage complexity, they are easily as powerful and more so. Many of them juxtapose seemingly disparate elements into coherent final collections that initially defy the connection between the parts and the whole., the latter being a relationship in which the artist has stated she is profoundly involved. Equally important, most of these questions and concepts have readily identifiable roots in her two-dimensional collage work as El Sayegh continues to expand upon her fast-growing yet coherent and calculated canon of work.

Mandy El Sayegh has built respect and admiration by stitching the line between sociopolitical messaging and the values of aesthetic integrity. She has manifested her multiple identities into a truly global art form that defies human tendencies to pigeonhole art and artists for easier consumption.

1. https://www.tatlerasia.com/lifestyle/arts/mandy-el-sayegh-performance