Arlo Sinclair
I discovered Arlo Sinclair’s work on social media. His universe immediately spoke to me, because it brings together several things that I am very sensitive to: the technological objects of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the geek culture, cinema, music, video games, but also a often very dark humor that gives each of his works a second reading.
Before even offering him a collaboration, I bought one of his pieces for my personal collection. When I received it, I was even more impressed than in the pictures. The quality of the craftsmanship, the realism of the painting, and the meticulous attention to detail were remarkable. It was almost as if I were face to face with a real, antique object, enlarged to an entirely unexpected scale.
I loved this first work so much that I contacted him to propose that he exhibit it at Galerie Montorgueil. He sent me some early pieces, which sold immediately. Visitors were drawn to these familiar objects, often linked to their childhood or adolescence, and then they discovered the puns, the detours, and all the hidden details in the works.
Arlo Sinclair works with floppy disks, audio cassettes and other objects that have become almost obsolete today. He transforms them into monumental sculptures, which are custom-machined from resin and aluminum, then hand-painted with impressive precision. He does not simply reproduce an old object; he creates an entire universe around it, linking it to a reference from cinema, music or popular culture.
What I particularly like about his work is the contrast between nostalgia and humor. At first glance, one recognizes an object that immediately reminds us of a time. Then, upon closer inspection, one discovers a twisted inscription, an absurd detail, a false legal mention, or a hand-painted intervention that completely changes the reading of the piece.
Even when a work belongs to a limited edition, each copy retains its own unique character. The marks, nuances, wear effects, ripples or stains are all handmade and are never exactly identical. Behind the industrial appearance of the object, the artist’s hand is always present.
In January 2026, we decided to take our collaboration further by jointly creating an exhibition for the District 13 exhibition in Paris. Arlo came especially from London to accompany the project, meet the public, and support the exhibition. It was a very beautiful moment, both humanly and artistically.
This presentation confirmed how widely its work could reach a very wide audience. Some visitors were fascinated by the technical quality and realism of the works. Others were immediately drawn to the references to the 1980s and 1990s. And almost everyone ended up smiling as they discovered the titles, the puns, and the hidden details in each piece.
Arlo Sinclair has developed a language that is very rarely seen elsewhere. His work is immediately recognizable, technically remarkable, and always rooted in a strong idea. Behind the humor, he also talks about the speed with which the objects around us become obsolete, then transform into memories.
I am very happy to have discovered his work first as an amateur, and then to have been able to build a genuine collaboration with him. This is exactly the kind of encounter that reminds me of why I created Galerie Montorgueil: buying a first work of art purely on a whim, meeting the artist behind it, and then having the chance to defend his universe and to make it known to others.
