Artist Arlo Sinclair turns obsolete tech into hyper‑real “geek‑luxury” paintings that pair 90s nostalgia with dry, British‑humoured critiques of AI hubris, privacy, corporate collapse and e‑waste.
-- Beloved by the new tech elite as much as by contemporary collectors, his work comforts with retro familiarity—then needles viewers to think twice about the digital age.
Arlo Sinclair: Where Retro Tech Meets Art
London‑based painter and sculptor Arlo Sinclair is transforming the relics of early computing — floppy disks, games cartridges, old CRT monitors — into finely rendered artworks that laugh, sigh and sometimes snarl at the digital age. His hyper‑real paintings carry wry captions such as “Pac‑Man: Eat Your Pills & Run Away From Your Ghosts” and “Top Gun: Feeding Big‑Boy Egos Instead of the Poor,” fusing warm‑glow nostalgia with pointed social critique on opioid crisis and military spending.
A Journey from Tech Geek to Artist
Born in South Africa, Sinclair grew up in an economically strapped London household. A broken Commodore 64—patched up by his grandfather—became both refuge and runway: unable to buy games, nine‑year‑old Arlo taught himself to code them. “That machine was more than a computer; it was a doorway,” he recalls. “Now I paint the door—and scribble a joke on the handle.”
That origin story lives on in every canvas. Sinclair treats so‑called e‑waste as a cultural archive, spotlighting privacy anxieties, AI hubris and our growing mountain of discarded hardware. Series such as Too Big to Fail (Blockbuster, Kodak, Toys “Were” Us) skewer corporate overconfidence, while the Conspiracy Disks mock the internet’s wilder fantasies with CIA‑labelled “JFK” floppies and NASA “Fake Moon Landing” back‑ups.
What was once seen as "junk"—old computers, video game cartridges, and floppy disks—now serves as a symbol of personal and cultural memory. “I see these objects as relics of a past that defined so many of us," says Sinclair. "Each item tells a story, not just of technology, but of culture, nostalgia, and a shift in how we view the digital age."
Nostalgia with Teeth
A 2021 Psychology Today study observed a marked rise in nostalgia consumption, facilitating escape, during periods of social stress. Prices of vintage tech and re‑issue merchandise have recently surged. Sinclair rides that wave, but refuses to let viewers drift off. His paintings offer the comfort of a childhood loading screen, then force a reckoning with what happened next: data breaches, AI deep‑fakes, an ocean of plastic cartridges that will outlive their players by centuries.
For Sinclair, art is a tool for social commentary. "My work isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s a reflection on the digital age and its pervasive influence on our lives,” Sinclair explains.
A Growing Demand for Sinclair's Work
Sinclair’s work has found an audience among some of the biggest names in tech. His collectors include senior engineers at leading tech companies, founders of Web 3.0 startups, and Fortune 500 executives. Many of these collectors see themselves in the objects Sinclair repurposes: once outsiders and geeks in the 1990s, now they are the driving forces behind the most influential companies in the world.
His paintings and sculptures have appeared in high-profile private collections and corporate offices, with pieces hanging in locations ranging from London to San Francisco and even Dubai. As a result, Sinclair’s art is becoming known as "geek luxury," signaling a shift in the art world where tech culture and fine art intersect.
Upcoming Exhibitions and Projects
Sinclair’s work continues to resonate with collectors and art enthusiasts. Recent exhibitions include Woolff Gallery in London in 2025, and group shows at Trimper Gallery in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Fitzrovia Gallery in London. His work will also appear in a forthcoming BBC drama series, further cementing his place in the cultural zeitgeist.
Sinclair’s upcoming projects include a hand-painted real floppy disk series, various partnerships and exhibitions with galleries around the world, and continued limited-edition print drops that have sold out in record time.
About Arlo Sinclair
Arlo Sinclair (b. 1980, South Africa) is a self-taught contemporary artist based in London. Specializing in mixed-media paintings and sculptures, Sinclair uses obsolete technology—such as floppy disks, game cartridges, and abandoned computers—as the basis for his work. His art explores themes of nostalgia, digital culture, AI ethics, and e-waste, blending humor with deeper social commentary. Sinclair’s work has been featured in galleries and private collections around the world, with a growing following among the global tech elite. He is represented by Trimper Gallery (USA), Signature Fine Art (Miami), Woolff Gallery (London), and AITY Gallery (South Africa).
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Arlo Sinclair, Artist
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