Aaron T Stephan’s meticulously crafted works employ ordinary objects to communicate a deep underlying messaging that disrupts our normal approach to narrative and meaning, telling us more about the environment and society in which we live. Innately visual in expression, his public artworks and studio sculptures also reflect his linguistic philosophy background, frequently “overriding languages” to consider how objects, artworks, and common symbols interact with public ownership and power structures.
Stephan has a keen understanding of how to boggle the mind. Through illusions of precision, he defies our expectations. Taken together, his wide body of work reveals a connective structure of complexity bound by gravity, inherent materiality, and math. Each piece is its own equation that we, as viewers, can attempt to unravel; or we can leave the questions unsolved, choosing to immerse ourselves in an open-ended proposition of forms and ideas.
Joshua Reiman: How did you get involved in making large-scale, public works?
Aaron T Stephan: It had never occurred to me to make public artwork, but a friend recommended that I apply for an opportunity. I got it, and I really enjoyed the process. There are a few different aspects that really appeal to me. . .
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