AD-Reflex

View works. A portrait of the AD-Reflex team
AD-Reflex
View works
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.