AJ Fosik was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. In 2003, he received a BFA in Illustration from Parsons School of Design in New York. In the years since, Fosik has lived in various cities across the country including Denver, Brooklyn and Philadelphia. He is currently based in Portland, Oregon.
Fosik’s artwork explores the powerful medium of language and metaphor to emphasize narrative and interpretation. Using wood and found materials, he creates figural, eclectic and intricately designed three-dimensional works that intrigue and provoke. Fosik’s animal subjects and anthropomorphized beings are built using a complex process in which each form is carefully handcrafted by arranging hundreds of pieces of individually cut and varnished wood, which the artist paints in vibrant colors and patterns.
Sharp teeth, claws, and eyes emerge once the creatures are completed – some are constructed as freestanding forms while others are wall-mounted, referencing modern taxidermy practices. Evocative of American Folk Art and inspired by subversive cultural influences that shift complacency, Fosik’s work suspends comfort with the appeal of familiar symbols and images. In this dynamic tension, the art and viewer come together in an expanded definition of culture and assumption.
