Sterling Ruby’s three dimensional structures engage with traditional considerations of sculpture being inherently relative to the human body: things which occupy real space (rather than painting’s illusionary space) are experienced physically. Measured against minimalism’s hallowed purity of the object, where form is asserted on a conceptual level, Ruby’s Kiss Trap Kismet is a radical convergence of the sublime and abject. Presented as a towering arch, Kiss Trap Kismet poses object as organism – primal, totemic, exuding a raw, animal power in its visceral aesthetic. Mounted on a graffitied plinth, Ruby’s sculpture teeters between instinctive revulsion and stounding beauty, drawing reference to contemporary ritual, aggression, and urban experience.

Ruby’s paintings draw from a similar concept of form and materiality as his sculptures to develop abstract fields that are simultaneously ‘tarnished’ and elegant. SP58 is a monumental sized canvas that employs the processes of graffiti mural-making. The colourful acrylic surface creates a geometric field or illusionary architecture over which spray paint is applied to create a sullied texture, infiltrating the image like a contaminent; the soft aerosol effect creates an uneasy perception of space, literally masking or censoring areas rather than creating a field of depth, giving a sense of hallucination or mirage.