AD-Reflex

Overview
An oil paint and digital composition work by AD-Reflex
Oath Keeper
The work of AD-Reflex is about duality and unexpected juxtapositions of beauty and decay.
 
Their art resists and transcends perceptions of traditional boundaries on every level.
AD-Reflex is the acclaimed contemporary South African artist duo of Johan Conradie and KarlGustav Sevenster, known for their bold, experimental artworks that merge oil painting, photography, digital manipulation, and Swarovski crystal embellishments.
 
Formed in 2015, AD-Reflex bridges the worlds of traditional fine art and digital innovation, creating works that oscillate between abstraction and representation. Their process includes freezing objects in ice, re-photographing them, and fusing elements of mythology, ritual, and contemporary culture into visually arresting narratives.
 
From mythical landscapes to reflections on war, devotion, and modernity, AD-Reflex invites viewers to explore the sacred and the profane through a unique alchemical fusion of media.
 
Their work has earned international recognition for its originality and conceptual depth.
Works
  • Tales from Beyond the Meadow Digital Composition by AD-Reflex
    Tales from Beyond the Meadow
  • An Oil and 3D modelling artwork by AD-Reflex
    Inflamed
  • An Oil and 3D modelling artwork by AD-Reflex
    Oath Keeper
  • An Oil and 3D modelling artwork by AD-Reflex
    Purge
  • An oil paint and digital composition work by AD-Reflex
    Rogue
  • An oil paint and digital composition work by AD-Reflex
    Echoes
  • A Digital Composition Artwork by AD-Reflex
    Tales of Citadels
Biography
A portrait of the AD-Reflex team
AD-Reflex
Our collective brainstorming is our real studio, as well as the actual author of our work.
 
Our ideas go through many kinds of filters, many twists and turns, which consistently transform the creative process to arrive at unexpected results and juxtapositions.
Founded in 2015, AD-Reflex is an internationally recognized contemporary artist duo from South Africa, composed of Johan Conradie and KarlGustav Sevenster. Known for their visually striking and conceptually provocative works, the duo creates a poetic dialogue between traditional oil painting and cutting-edge digital art techniques.
 
AD-Reflex's process is an alchemical fusion of media, including:

  • Oil painting on canvas

  • Digital photography and photo-manipulation

  • Physical freezing of objects in ice for re-photography

  • Swarovski crystal embellishments and experimental layering

 
This hybrid methodology allows their work to oscillate between abstraction and representation, revealing mythological landscapes, ritualistic figures, and contemporary reflections on power, devotion, and the sacred.
 
Backgrounds:

  • Johan Conradie, Master of Arts (University of Pretoria, 2005), is an award-winning painter and art educator.

  • KarlGustav Sevenster, a self-taught digital artist and computer specialist, brings a deep technical and experimental approach to the duo's creations.

 
Their partnership unites classical artistry with modern technology, producing artworks that explore the values, vices, and contradictions of contemporary culture.
Conceptual Vision

AD-Reflex's works often examine:

  • The allure and visual history of war and martyrdom in the 21st century

  • The seductive forms of the sacred and the tension between devotion and violence

  • The fluid interplay between the tangible and the digital, where images emerge and dissolve in a state of perpetual transformation

 
Through their experimental processes, AD-Reflex pushes the boundaries of contemporary art, creating pieces that are technically innovative, emotionally resonant, and culturally reflective. Collectors and curators worldwide recognize their work for its originality and depth, bridging the gap between traditional fine art and digital contemporary practice.