Stefan Rurak, Steel Drawing #7, USA, 2018

Brooklyn based Stefan Rurak’s unique vision and process stems from a diverse range of media, ranging from things as conventional as drawing and painting to performance art. “The work is largely process oriented, he states, “Increasingly I became aware that the mediums I was drawn to, such as silkscreen printing and film photography were really a pursuit of a craft that relied on a skillset as well as a system of tools.”

Working with a variety of materials – wood, cast concrete, and steel – Rurak draws no distinction between art and design, creating both purely aesthetic and fully functional pieces. Each work conveys movement, action, or intuition.

The steel “paintings” are hand-etched as a quasi-signature. The etched drawings that are regularly repeated in his work have no meaning but rather exist as a language of symbols personal to Rurak. “Simply put these are shapes, lines and gestures that make me feel good. I do not decide the drawings before I apply them to the steel. This is an extremely high-stakes process. After countless hours constructing the cabinet, meticulously finishing it, the very last step is taking an angle grinder and drawing into the face.”

This intuitive action and the tension it creates is charged with consequences. It is here that Rurak’s confidence is particularly evident as any slip or mistake will be permanently reflected in the steel.

Medium: Steel panel

Dimensions: 48” H x 60” W x 1” D. 121.92 H x 152.40 W x 2.54 D cm