John Sideli

Sideli combines, merges and juxtaposes selected disparate found objects, old fragments and salvaged materials to create compelling and poignant artworks.

Robert and Josyane Young believe his work blurs the boundary between old and new, breaking down the opposition between contemporary and antique. His pieces are a beguiling hybrid — modern art distilled with the patination and charisma of age, yet carrying the spirit of the future.

“I often like to begin with a title and work backwards, looking for pieces that can express my idea,” Sideli says. “At other times I simply juggle the elements until they speak to me. Then there are those sacred moments when the parts seem to ask to be united.”

There is a structure to the constructions — a kind of architecture that binds and balances the elements and the relationships between them.

Josyane Young locates the source of that power not in period but in integrity: “Magical, inspiring artwork reflects the sensitivity, honesty and spirit of whoever made it, irrespective of where or when. Such pieces are somehow timeless.”

Sideli has a natural eye for form, texture and surface, and a rare talent for condensing feeling into compositions with style, humour and pathos. As he puts it: “Sometimes fragments of things can speak volumes more than the totality — and do so with more grace.”