Ingmar Apinis | Sometimes the Haptic Glitched Him 

Artist Statement

“Sometimes the Haptic Glitched Him” comes from a series of works which consider the idea that life in the digital age, where the virtual/physical binary is breaking down, mirrors the fluidity of the Queer experience. For Queer individuals, long accustomed to challenging and transcending binaries, this dissolution of boundaries is familiar territory.

Ingmar Apinis navigates this complex terrain by fusing artefacts salvaged from the depths of the Cloud - from vintage Queer pornography to memes and documentation of classical antiquity - with handcrafted drawings and paintings scanned into Photoshop. These once disparate elements are meticulously blended via digital sorcery, resulting in collages that reflect the abstract nature of contemporary Queer existence.

Despite the allure of the digital realm, Apinis is compelled to anchor himself in the physical. His digital collages become real-world objects, printed onto aluminium panels that mirror the ultra-flatness of our screens, and highlight the disembodied nature of our digital lives.

Artist Bio

Ingmar Apinis (he/him) is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia whose practice explores post-digital aesthetics and internet culture through a queer lens. 

Working in a range of mediums that spans paint, digital printing, plaster and water transfer printing (an industrial production process also known as hydro-dipping), his work poses questions about online subcultures, future histories, queerness, and the role of physical objects in an increasingly virtual world.

Ingmar has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions at a number of galleries including C3 Contemporary Art Space, Rubicon, Kings Artist Run, Counihan Gallery, Salamanca Arts Centre and Artereal Gallery. He completed a Bachelor of Fine Art (2000), and a Masters of Contemporary Art (2020) at the VCA, and co-founded Brunswick Temporary studios and gallery in 2021.

Ingmar has been a finalist in the Nillumbik, and Wyndham prizes, and the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize. Ingmar was awarded the Ursula Hoff Printmaking Award in 2020.