The organization Erie Arts & Culture and the Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority brought in curator Iryna Kanishcheva and the artist Sat One for a project to create an abstract mural that covers the 12,000-square-foot observation deck at Dobbins Landing. Taking a week to complete, Flotsam celebrates and reflects Erie’s bayfront environment.
About the Mural
Curiosity is a driving force in SatOne’s life. The artist is drawn to engage with people and environments that offer unique stories. It leads to the discovery of situations that others may overlook in their daily routine.
This is why he finds the definition of flotsam so intriguing – people or items that have been rejected or regarded as worthless. In traditional maritime culture, this referred to the wreckage of a ship and what debris may eventually wash ashore. But, as people, he thinks all of us at one point in our lives experience a moment when we feel cast aside and not valued.
Within this image the viewer may discover abstract objects that were carried to the shoreline by the momentum of the spuming waves. The triangular element points across jetted ripples in the water to the wreckage from which it came. And in that, we find the story of a treasure waiting on the sand to be reclaimed by those who are curious. Once discovered, how will this item be re-imagined and what new purposes may it serve?
About the Artist
SatOne is an artistic name of Rafael Gerlach, who was born in 1977 in Venezuela. Since 1979, he has been living in Munich, and traveling frequently. One of the trips he took in the early 1990s brought Graffiti to his attention. From 2000 on, he developed a distinct abstract style, which starts with figuration and objects, but the color fields that develop from it overcome any references to the living world. Abstract in nature, SatOnes art is an expression of sensitivity present in objects that can be realized only on an instinctive level. It is not disruptive of its surroundings, as many street expressions are, but is instead integral to them. The colorful sensuality of his works, continues the artist’s narration of exquisiteness hiding from direct observation, being sensed only through reflection. His studio works, however, allow a greater degree of experimentation, both in style and techniques he deploys.
There is a rare serenity in SatOne’s art. Objects on his artworks exist as impressions, that invite interpretations based on sentimental value and sensations. The atmosphere is guiding the viewers to enjoy the essence of objects, rather than their realistic depiction. SatOne distances himself from the privilege of interpretation – he opens a broader specter of possible meanings, leaving the viewers to sense the one most pertinent to them. Artists, in the likes of SatOne, who move from walls to studios, further the experimental potential of this style, and bring it closer to contemporary sensibilities and also younger generations of street art audiences.
SatOne: Website | Instagram | Facebook
Iryna Kanishcheva: website | facebook | instagram
Cool project!