Wilderness Civilization
Clay, Pigment, Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas
72" x 72"
Ali Beletic’s Neon Primitivism series is an evocative fusion of the archaic and the contemporary, a natural evolution of her commitment to primitivist ideology and her experiential art as both ritual and revelry. This latest body of work reasserts the power of painting as a primal yet deeply modern medium—one capable of transmitting raw sensuality, emotional intensity, and a connection to the earliest human impulses. In a return to the gestural dynamism of Abstract Expressionism, Beletic layers ultra-matte pigments, botanical dyes, and oils, embracing untraditional materials that feel as elemental as they are innovative. The resulting forms guide the viewer across a spectrum of relational artistic sentiments—from the mark-making of cave paintings to the raw immediacy of the New York School, from ceremonial body art to the weathered textures of ancient artifacts. Echoing Charles Olson’s Archaic Postmodern and the bold language of pop art, her work channels the simultaneity of our shared ancestral and modern experience.
Transitional Worlds x Land Aerials
Clay, Pigment, Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas
72" x 60"
This series follows the trajectory of her sculptural explorations, which have often functioned as a contemporary form of experimental archaeology. Beletic’s past works have engaged directly with primitive technologies and experiential landscapes—hand-building mahogany and glass rain catchments, wielding fire as both tool and symbol, and creating artifacts using techniques rooted in early human craftsmanship. Her practice extends beyond the gallery space, transforming environments into sensory experiences, whether by illuminating a boulder-strewn desert for an immersive walk-through or constructing a surfboard from Tule reeds as a celebratory reflection on humanity’s engineering in water. Neon Primitivism continues this lineage, offering a vibrant and tactile invocation of our most elemental instincts, recontextualized for the modern world.