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Rudolf Stingel is a pioneering conceptual artist whose work explores the dialogue between representation, abstraction, process and perception. His expansive practice challenges the traditional definitions of what is considered a painting, with the artist inviting the viewer into the creation process and blurring the distinction between the architecture of an exhibition and the artwork itself.

Born in 1956 in Italy, Stingel moved to New York in 1987, where he gained recognition for his silver paintings. In these abstract works, the artist first applies a single colour onto the canvas before then spraying silver paint through pieces of gauze, which is removed to reveal a richly textured surface.

Stingel detailed the process behind his silver paintings in Instructions, a manual published in 1989. In creating a guide for others to produce ‘a Stingel’, the artist aimed to break down the traditional hierarchies between audience and artist and deconstruct the process of making art.

As his practice evolved, Stingel turned to unconventional materials including carpet, Styrofoam, insulation board and rubber. The artist used these materials to create site-specific installations — he would transform entire spaces into immersive works, with walls, floors and ceilings utilised as surfaces for reflection and participation. Through these works, Stingel questioned the boundary between architecture and the act of painting, once noting, ‘I wouldn’t know where to say intervention stops and destruction begins.’

The interaction between the audience and Stingel’s work is an important part of his practice, with the artist inviting viewers to reconsider how art is made and experienced. In Stingel’s retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 2007, he covered the walls with metallic Celotex and visitors were encouraged to make their own markings on the surface. This invitation for audiences to paint, draw or write on the artwork is a common feature in Stingel’s exhibitions, highlighting his collaborative view of art.

Alongside this more immersive practice, Stingel also began a distinct series of photorealistic paintings in the mid-2000s. For these pieces, the artist worked from found photographs of portraits of close collaborators to explore how representation interacts with memory and emotion.

Some of Stingel’s best-known photorealistic paintings are self-portraits, including Untitled (After Sam) (2005–2006), which saw the artist return to more traditional genres of painting and photography. He painted four large scale self-portraits for this series, which were met with critical acclaim when they were exhibited at career retrospectives at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art.