Paul Seftel’s practice moves between material experimentation and writing, using both as ways of examining how meaning, value, and perception are constructed. His mineral-based paintings explore layers of matter and light, while his writing traces the less visible layers of institutional, social, and symbolic systems in which art is produced.

Across mediums, Seftel treats surface not as finish but as evidence of time, labor, memory, and structure. Whether working with limestone, copper, and pigment, or with language and narrative, his work investigates how realities are formed, sustained, and quietly transformed.

In his latest book, Field Guide to the Art World, Seftel treats the art world itself as a material to be worked with.