Inspired by geometric abstraction, minimalism, and pop culture, American artist Josh Sperling employs collage-like compositions and vibrant colours to create playful artworks that blur the line between painting and sculpture.
Read MoreFirst rendering his ideas on a computer, Sperling uses acrylic paint on multiple pieces of raw canvas that are hand-stretched over intricate plywood structures and then pieced together. Creating geometrically playful shapes in bold colour combinations, his sculptural paintings are celebrated for their whimsical characteristics and their interactive presentations.
Born in 1984 in the rural town of Oneonta, New York, Josh Sperling graduated from SUNY Potsdam in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Sperling's father, himself an artist, played a formative role in inspiring Sperling to make art. Trained in cabinet-making and later working in graphic design, Sperling acquired skills that greatly influenced his approach to art-making, becoming interested in form and the effect of aesthetics on visual culture.
Sperling draws inspiration from historical arts and design movements, particularly, the language of minimalism and postmodernism. Post-war roadside signage, architectural styles such as Googie, product and furniture design, and the works of artists such as Keith Haring, Fernand Leger, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella, Bridget Riley, and KAWS, have all directed his path as an artist.
Through his dynamic exploration of form, Sperling has developed a unique visual vocabulary notable for its playful energy. His joyful creations are precise, balanced, and the result of a never-ending exploration of formal composition. He has worked extensively with monochrome and contradictory colours, as well as a variety of shapes and unconventional compositions. Employing an experimental approach to each series, he has worked with neutral colours (Double Bubble P (2020)) as well as a piece featuring black, interwoven geometric shapes (So it Goes F (2019)).
Sperling's meticulous process begins with the rendition of his compositions on a computer. Each idea is then transferred onto canvases stretched over plywood forms, which are arranged or layered together in a new composition. Using acrylic paint on canvas, Sperling alternates surface texture to create an illusion of depth. Combined with the play of light and shadow interacting with the interlinking components of his works, Sperling offers his viewers a playful and immersive spatial experience.
Sperling has been the subject of numerous group and solo exhibitions around the world. His work has been presented at Bill Brady Gallery, Miami (2020); Sorry We're Closed, Brussels (2019); Powerlong Museum, Shanghai (2019); Retrospective Gallery, Hudson, New York (2016); and in a number of exhibitions with Perrotin at their various international locations since 2018. Sperling's works have been exhibited in numerous art fairs around the world, and are part of notable international collections such as Arsenal Contemporary in Montreal, Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai, and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
Josh Sperling lives and works in Ithaca, New York.
Leila Sajjadi | Ocula | 2021
