by Cameron Cook
Art By Zander Blom
South African artist Zander Blom pushes form and materials in new directions to solve “visual problems.” His work reminds us that art is generative and constantly evolving, and doesn't need to follow a conceptual agenda to expand the way we think, see, and feel.
Blom is represented by galleries around the world, and has held solo exhibitions at Signs and Symbols in New York, Galerie Hans Mayer, Düsseldorf, and Stevenson Gallery in Cape Town. He is best known for his abstract Monochromatic works, a style he’s been exploring since 2022 in which he carves layers into paint to create various shapes, patterns, and textures. He has been recognized by art experts globally, and was recently featured on Artnet’s list of artists poised for a breakthrough in 2025.
During our conversation, Blom admitted to the bizarre work of an artist, describing art making as both "the most useless activity" and "incredibly valuable." His approach is about problem solving with materials, finding a way to combine them in a way that’s visually appealing.
“It's kind of just getting out of your way... letting the medium shine and do what it can do beautifully,” said Blom.
Blom’s deep fascination with art history and the Modernist movement bleed into his perpetually shifting body of work. Rather than imposing a specific story or emotion to his pieces, Blom creates meaning through movement, texture and a simplicity that pulls the viewer into open-ended contemplation.
After a virtual tour of his well-lived-in, yet surprisingly organized studio, Blom flipped through some of his sketchbooks and explained his creative process to the work he is making now.
Drawing from compositional prompts—such as the circular movement in Matisse’s Dance—Blom begins each piece with a very basic idea of where he wants it to go, then allows intuition to take over. He compares the subtractive process of carving shapes, patterns, and gradients of texture into the paint to taking a timed exam, with only a limited time window to refine and adjust before the paint starts to set. Blom shared that the soundtrack to this style would be Black Metal or deep house music like Nicolas Jaar.
Though this new type of experimentation differs from his usual process of working on multiple pieces simultaneously, Blom shared that the new approach has taught him to trust his instincts and tune into the artists he is and the work that naturally emerges.
“I think that I'm not as greedy as I used to be when I was a younger artist. I wanted to be every version of every artist I've ever loved... Matisse... Kippenberger... Francis Bacon, and so I just jumped around,” said Blom. “But I think you kind of, over time, learn you have to work through a lot of stuff to get to some place where you can get stuck for a while and dig really deep.”
Throughout the twenty-something years of his art career, Blom has explored various modes and styles. From photography, to colorful abstractions, to more figurative works of monsters and gargoyles, and more, Blom joked that he has the opposite problem that many artists experience – rather than getting confined to a specific style, his gallery almost expects him to pivot all the time.
In one of his earlier solo exhibitions, Blom related this obsession with change as a “voyage of discovery,” questioning the positives but also potential pitfalls of constantly shifting.
“Do you change because you’ve followed something to its logical conclusion and there is nothing more to discover, or do you keep jumping from one direction to another because it’s easier than pushing on to a deeper, more sophisticated place?” Blom wrote in the 2016 exhibition text.
During our conversation, Blom related that it was a few years later, while attempting to incorporate themes of figuration, that he stumbled into the process that led to his current monochromatic work, a space he’s been in for nearly three years now.
“I discovered this technique one day in the studio out of frustration with the composition I was working on,” Blom said. “I had bought this silicone tool from the shop years ago but didn't really know what it does. It just looked interesting.”
This shift to a more narrow space has brought Blom’s work to these deeper, more sophisticated levels as he continues to explore within its “funnel of possibilities.”
Blom told me that his next transition will happen naturally, when he begins to lack inspiration for the current mode of work. He has learned that through mindful attention, curiosity, and openness, problems in the studio will work themselves out, and he isn’t afraid to embrace "U-turns or unknown directions."
With several upcoming solo exhibitions and a growing trajectory, I know I’m not the only one who looks forward to seeing how Blom’s work will continue to evolve.
“Who knows what kind of painter you’ll be tomorrow?”
