In Ben Sledsens’ new physique of labor, An Apple for the Street, saturated fields of colour meet methodical patterns constructed from grasses, leaves, brick, and extra. The Antwerp-born artist conceives of vibrant, atmospheric work wherein life pauses for a second: there’s a swan hovering over its tinted reflection, a lady simply stepping out her entrance door, and vivid nonetheless lifes wherein clouds and comfortable breezes rustle by means of the home windows.
Typically starting with drawings on paper earlier than translating essentially the most salient particulars to the canvas, Sledsens is concerned about repetition and the visible energy of sample, which he layers to type dense thickets of willow timber or the tiles lining a boating dock. These motifs set the scene, wherein the peculiar seems in a brand new, barely skewed perspective.
Whereas daring in colour, the oil-and-acrylic work are quiet and intimate. Sledsens beckons the viewer into home areas and serene pockets of panorama, whereas choosing comfortable mild and the haze of nightfall. By pairing recognizable imagery with a way that we’re witnessing a fleeting second, the artist invitations questions on what sustains our attentions and what particulars we might by no means absolutely grasp.
An Apple for the Street is on view from September 3 to October 10 at Tim Van Laere Galler in Antwerp. Dive into the artist’s archive on Instagram.
