Caught in the swirling motion of the artist’s hand, the ethereal drawing and paintings of Ai Campbell explore life, death, and everything in between. Ink washes with intricate line work create detailed maps of the human subconscious. Having mostly worked in solely black and white, Campbell adds veils of color to the wash technique of her new work. Swirling structures morph into pathways, the cosmos, or cellular structures.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Ai Campbell for the past 5 years. When I first saw her work I was immediately drawn to the delicate atmospheric black and white paintings. The spherical washes overlaid with intricate line drawings and dashes immediately drew me in. I felt the reflections of the cosmos, the inner working of my subconscious, the energy that connects all people.
Then I got to meet Ai in person and she is a delight! I originally saw her work in the artwork submissions to Rush Arts Galleries in 2012. I knew I wanted to work with her immediately. For the 2013 exhibition curated from the gallery submissions I invited the up and coming curator Amber Harris to work on the exhibition titled COLLIDEscope: The Birth, Metamorphosis and Evolution of the Abstract Actual. This group exhibition featured Elizabeth Knowles, Julian Lorber and Ai Campbell and was on view at Corridor Gallery March 24th - May 4th 2013.
Seeing Ai's work in person made me want to learn more about her and to exhibit her work again. In December 2013 I brought her work to Select Art Fair in Miami with Selin Balci, Julian Lorber, Ruby Amanze, Nicky Enright, and Kazuaki Unoto. In 2014 at SCOPE NY I featured Ai’s work again with Selin Balci, John Lee, Cey Adams, Cullen Washington, among others. She has had numerous exhibitions, and recently had work on view in London and Vienna.
I am honored to own a small Ai Campbell drawing as part of my collection. I would love to have the space and money to have some of her large works on canvas. Her dedication to art and her aesthetics is incredible strong.
Come see some of her work in the -morphic exhibition I am curating, which opens Sunday Oct. 15th. For more information click here. I look forward to watching Ai's work and career develop. She is an artist I greatly admire. Ai was born in Osaka, Japan and trained at the Kyoto College of Art and Design. Her studio is currently in Gowanus and she will be participating in the Gowanus Open Studio tour.
Here are some photos of Ai with her work and out and about at some art events!
Video of 2013 Exhibition at Corridor Gallery with Ai Campbell -