A series of 24 individual works by R. Justin Stewart hangs near a brightly-hued sofa. Images courtesy of the artist & VSG Contemporary.

By JEFFERSON GODARD

R. Justin Stewart creates intersecting compositions made of felt with systematically ordered patterns that trick the eye into thinking that only a machine would be able to produce such works on their own. Yet behind it is the skilled hand of the artist, exacting these dizzying, brightly colored patterns and elaborate networks. Felt forms float within acrylic apertures mimicking ferrofluids, spores, or landscapes where they undulate and overlap one another. 

Stewart, a New York-based artist, will present a new series of soft and tactile works at his inaugural Chicago solo exhibition, Between Layers, this October at VSG Contemporary. For Stewart, the unconventionality of felt is especially intriguing and pays homage to both his love of material and his ceramics background. 

Hailing from Wisconsin, this multi-disciplinary artist started out as a ceramicist. And while he may not currently be firing anything, he is still deeply material-driven. The artist explains that he is “drawn to materials that aren’t immediately recognizable and encourage viewers to slow down and question what they’re seeing.” His renderings often leave the viewer to question what they are made of and their own materiality. Much like clay, felt can be easily manipulated and provides a contradictory relationship. Here the artist explains that he likes “working with felt because it’s full of those contradictions. It feels soft and familiar, yet in these pieces it can appear solid, and almost architectural.” 

The work begins in a digital format and is machined into layers, but this is where the machine and the human have their final connection. From this stage forward, it is the patient hand of the artist who meticulously ensures that each layer finds a connection. As VSG owner Allan Weinberger shares, “Justin’s practice exists at the intersection of digital technology and human labor, yet it remains deeply handmade, even though a first glance might suggest otherwise.” 

Art and technology are often at odds with one another, and Stewart enjoys playing with this perceived adversarial relationship. In an ode to this opposition, referencing material, technology, and art, Czech philosopher and media theorist Vilém Flusser hearkens back to fellow philosopher Plato in “On the Word Design: An Etymological Essay”* and states that “(t)he Greek techne means ‘art’ and is related to tekton, a ‘carpenter.’” Flusser further delved into early conceptions of how the artist portrays material, “Plato’s basic objection to art and technology was that they betray and distort theoretically intelligible forms (“Ideas”) when they transfer these into the material world.” In a similar fashion, Stewart is giving form to felt, or in the artist’s words, “enjoys creating (this) shift in perception.” 

With this shifting perception of spaces as well as a confluence of evolving geometrical systems, we can see the merging of architectural elements and sculpted surfaces. These delicate maneuvers help to solidify the work but also create even more tension. 

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Between Layers opens October 17, 2026 

VSG Contemporary

673 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL

*Flusser, Vilém, and John Cullars. “On the Word Design: An Etymological Essay.” 

Design Issues, vol. 11, no. 3, 1995, pp. 50–53.