A.J. Springer
A.J. Springer
This body of work examines the emotional and psychological associations we project onto the human form. Through a deliberate fragmentation of the figure, the artist explores themes rooted in innate human curiosity—duality in nature, sexuality, violence, and primordial response. Their practice seeks to heighten the viewer’s awareness of the body and its shifting relationship to the self, prompting a deeper engagement with the complexities of the human condition.
The artist’s exploration is informed by their lived experience with multiple mental health diagnoses and the therapeutic journey that followed. What began as a deeply personal self-portrait series evolved into a collaborative and community-driven practice. Through group therapy and mental-health workshops, the artist invited participants to pose, share their stories, and contribute to a broader dialogue around vulnerability, resilience, and lived emotional experience. These exchanges have become central to the conceptual framework of the work.
Drawing from psychological methodologies, the artist creates compositions that evoke the interpretive ambiguity of a Rorschach test. Viewers are encouraged into an intimate, introspective exchange—an encounter reminiscent of a Jungian confrontation with the “shadow.” The layered interactions of figures operate as symbols of internal and interpersonal struggle, mirroring the tensions inherent within every individual.
Each piece originates as a charcoal and ink drawing on mylar. The image is transferred to a solar plate through a light-sensitive printmaking process, then printed in multiple variations on thin, translucent paper. These prints are subsequently fragmented and collaged into layered constructions that generate shifting narratives. Through this process, the artist invites viewers to project their own subconscious onto the dark, amorphous forms and to uncover personal meaning within the abstracted, psychological spaces of the work.
