Tristan S.F. Gittens

Tristan S.F. Gittens is an American artist living and working between London and California. He has a BA in Psychology from U.C. Berkeley, an MS in Epidemiology from Stanford University, and completing an MA in Painting from Royal College of Art. He was most recently shortlisted for Bloomberg New Contemporaries and has exhibited internationally.

With a background in science and a playful flirtation with physics, my work solves for X. The symbol represents uncertainty and alienation and builds a bridge between the known and the unknown. By dispelling the myth of a binary existence, a spectrum is opened that is mapped in my work.

I work quickly to capture the energy of the moment and the excitement of transformation. Utilizing a free and frenetic style that vacillates between abstract and figurative, I’m able to access a hidden dimension where I become a conduit to ideas, symbols, and emotions.

In my practice I focus my entire being on a grand feeling, something as big as the universe, eternity, humanity, and mortality, a meditation on existence. I apply paint to the canvas and begin dredging, mining, and digging at the surface until forms appear. This process allows the work to surprise and guide instead of being guided. I’m able to tap into something from deep within; something on the visceral level that will be reflected to the viewer allowing them to share this experience.