Madison-based artist Jason Ruhl works predominantly in print-based media, taking fragmented pieces of graphic ephemera and reworking them into simplified, enigmatic images. His current body of work is the result of a collaborative process, in which lists of songs solicited from other people inspire unique print works that are then mailed back to the participant.

 

“Since first encountering Jean Arp’s Untitled (Collage with Squares Arranged according to the Law of Chance) in an Art History class in the late 90s, I have been captivated by the notion of serendipity. This fascination has evolved into an exploration of the balance between chance and intention in my work. At what point does this embrace of randomness shift from unique inspiration to a tired cliché? This question pushes me to navigate the fine line between spontaneity and predictability. Each piece becomes a conversation between the unexpected and the meticulously fabricated. If I am not in complete control of the creative process, does that undermine the authenticity of the work? Or does it open doors to possibilites that I could never have anticipated?”