Commissions
A select number of private commissions are accepted annually. Every artwork is brought to life through a detailed, collaborative process, from concept to final installation, producing a piece that endures. Ensuring the Patron’s vision is captured with the same rigour as the museum-grade pieces, the result is a unique intervention that secures a legacy beyond the immediate moment.
Collaborations
Arsalan and StageBlock selectively collaborate with performers, sitters, and visual artists on thematic, interdisciplinary projects, ranging from intimate experiments to large-scale commissions for public and private placements. With the aim of expanding the possibilities video art, these partnerships fuse diverse skillsets to realise innovative artworks.
People
Arsalan
Sattari-Hicks
Artist & Creative Director
Arsalan is the artist behind the work. Situated at the intersection of performance, visual art, and creative technology, his practice re-engineers the relationship between the viewer and the subject, to define a new genre that synthesises traditional portraiture and performance with the advancements of film and digital media. His work has been displayed alongside contemporary icons such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, and Damien Hirst.
Arsalan’s approach is deeply rooted in over a decade of theatrical discipline across the UK and US. Underpinned by a rigorous academic framework in production, cultural management and audience development, his work is grounded in a deep understanding of both traditional mediums and contemporary cultural engagement.
Francesco
Pierangeli
Executive Director
Dr Francesco Pierangeli shapes the strategic expansion and technological direction of the collective, building partnerships and collaborations that extend its reach across artistic, academic, and technological communities.
He is Director of the MSc FinTech programme at the University of Birmingham, where his research explores how emerging technologies interact with cultural and socio-economic systems. Francesco has co-founded initiatives across the creative industries and supports cultural institutions including the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the Triennale di Milano. He holds a PhD jointly awarded by King’s College London and the National University of Singapore, and began his career in banking at J.P. Morgan and UBS.
Associated Artists
Ron Daniels
Ron was the Artistic Director of The Other Place Theatre. He is a guest lecturer at Yale University, and a former Associate Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theatre, and head of the Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University.
Roberto Vivancus
renowned for his highly cinematic visual story-telling. With a passion for narratively intriguing concepts, his bold cinematic style and his intensive career focusing on dramatic lighting techniques are defining features of his work.
Creative Facilitators
Rachel Lynn Jackson
Working at the intersection of creativity, community, and activism, she's worked with Peter, Paul & Mary, Jacob’s Pillow, ISPA, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Bridewell Theatre, and Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company. She is a longtime member of New York Celebrity Assistants.
Eleanor Sattari-Hicks
ensuring each session proceeds seamlessly and with discretion. She has extensive experience supporting high-profile talent and coordinating complex production and casting arrangements, having worked with Charlotte Sutton CDG and Jamie Wilson Productions. A voiceover artist, trained actor, and accomplished director.
Studio Ambassadors
Daniele Francilia
With over 15 years of experience in big tech, including a decade in leadership at Google, he specialises in scaling complex ventures in new markets. Based in Dubai, and founder of DF Management Services he brings an investor’s perspective and a strong passion for the arts, helping shape the studio's intersection of creative technology and the global art market.
Richard Brierley
in the Americas, Asia and Europe. Richard was instrumental in the staging of StageBlock’s first commercial gallery show to global critical acclaim and a steady flow of visitors in the Autumn of 2024. Richard continues to support StageBlock’s commercial growth and their relationship with the art market more broadly.
Practice
Inquiry is both instinct and method. From sketchbooks to speculative renderings, Arsalan explores a range of mediums, photographic, film, generative, and tactile, in search of a visual language that resonates.
The practice embraces missteps, following creative intuition until the unexpected takes shape.Once the conceptual direction is set, Arsalan and a select multidisciplinary team enter a focused stage of composition. The process refines tone, gesture, and presence through a rigorous process, working toward clarity and coherence to allow the subject to simply exist.
In fabrication, the focus shifts from exploration to execution. The work is calibrated for light, space, and longevity. Each portrait is produced using a blend of proprietary systems and bespoke craftsmanship, developed by Arsalan and a select team and at times in close collaboration with the subjects.
No two works follow the same route, but each is held to the same standard: clarity of image, integrity of form, and respect for the subject’s presence.Proofing is where the work settles into its final voice. The collective, guided by Arsalan's vision, revisits each frame, tuning the emotional register and colour. It is a solitary, reductive process; nothing is added without purpose, nothing remains without reason.
The housing is an extension of the digital canvas. Each piece is encased in a custom-built structure that balances protection with design. Decisions are led by the artwork’s requirements, fabricated with care, from hand-treated woods to bespoke metalwork and customised controls and hardware.
Through blockchain digital ledgers, each work holds a permanent, verifiable record of origin. This pioneering approach deepens trust and transparency in how the legacy of the work is shared and safeguarded.
StageBlock collaborates closely with Collectors and venues to ensure precision. From site consultation to final calibration, Arsalan's team manages the environment, delivering a seamless experience whether for a private collection or a museum-grade exhibition.
The studio maintains stewardship of all original negatives and raw master files, offering a comprehensive preservation guarantee to institutions and collectors. This approach immunises the work against technological obsolescence, securing the legacy of the piece.
Ethos
Sustainable
Practices
Ecological responsibility is central. Sustainable production techniques, responsibly sourced materials and low-impact digital platforms to minimise the ecological footprint are prioritised.
Human
Centricity
The work is crafted without Generative AI, respecting the human artistry and soul behind each peice. Traditional, ethical methods are upheld to honour the integrity of the creative vision.
Community
Patronage
Reinvesting in the live performance community is a core tenet. Support is directed toward artists, institutions, and indie projects, ensuring the work remains accessible and shared publicly.
Artwork
Accessibility
Bridging the gap between tradition and innovation, digital portraiture is presented to be appreciated by both conventional collectors and those exploring contemporary forms.
Digital
Adoption
Patrons are guided in the sustainable adoption of digital art, by combining cutting-edge technology with enduring craftsmanship and environmental care, long-term preservation is fostered.
Essays
"...continuing a lineage that stretches from traditional theatrical painting to the time-based experiments of Andy Warhol. Just as Warhol’s screen tests transformed the moving image into a form of psychological portraiture, the work reimagines the actor’s portrait as an event: a collaboration between stillness and potential. The work carves out a new space in contemporary portraiture, one that is both reverent and radically inventive."
"... the work speaks fluently to both traditional collectors rooted in oil and canvas, and to those embracing the future of digital art. By presenting digital portraiture with the gravitas, craftsmanship, and curatorial rigour typically reserved for traditional media, Arsalan’s studio invites established audiences to expand their definitions of permanence. The work provides new collectors with an accessible entry point into the lineage of portraiture, positioning physical digital art not as a departure from tradition, but as its natural evolution."
Selected & supported by the
Utilising advanced infrastructures to experiment and deliver innovative and authenticated artworks.
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Contact
66 Paul Street, London,
EC2A 4NE
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Company registered in England #13367743
About
Pioneering visual arts, rooted in tradition, driven by innovation, featuring revered global talents.
As the vehicle for the creative practice of Arsalan Sattari-Hicks, co-founded with Francesco Pierangeli, StageBlock collective fuses classical disciplines with cutting edge technology to create intimate encounters that interrogate the nature of memory, motivation, and presence.
Presented as bespoke framed physical collections, special editions, or immersive installations, the work transforms the passive gaze of static portraiture into an active, cinematic exchange, and brings the performing arts into the wider art world.
Experiential artworks featuring world renowned sitters. Presented through bespoke sculptural housing, each unique living portrait reimagines the relationship between viewer and subject to foster a deeply intimate exchange.
