Recap: SatOne IN MEMORIAM at 886 Geary Gallery

Last Saturday was the opening of IN MEMORIAM, German artist SatOne‘s first solo show in the US at 886 Geary Gallery in San Francisco.

SatOne’s work represents an interesting mix of powerful graphic style and improvised abstract elements that open up new dimensions and give shape to a unique pictorial universe. In Memoriam is the result of an exciting creative journey undertaken during the past, a completely new body of work created for the occasion and that stands as a testimony of that journey. Pieces like Nightrace, Peak and Last Minute can remind us of some of SatOne’s earlier work whilst Vagabond, Innerlife I and II, and Palace, just to highlight some of them, point into a new direction where the expressiveness of the ‘brushstrokes’ become more evident, the approach is spontaneous and focused on the process of painting. But In Memoriam isn’t just a testimony of Satone’s search for a new visual language, it also represents a personal and spiritual journey. As explained by the artist:

“In Memoriam“ is based on the notion that only essential things in life last, and came to the artist whilst he was recently renovating his apartment. During the process of separating out belongings, the artist felt himself confronted with existential doubts about the nature of objects and possessions, rediscovering the value of photography as a way of documenting and underlining personal memories. This experience was interesting for SatOne because it gave him the possibility to find out how far he could ‘reduce’ himself in terms of material belongings, freeing himself from anything that didn’t have a practical purpose, and providing him with a subject to explore in his work.

Most experiences find their origin in a mental or physical movement and journey. The person moves, wanders, struggles and rushes from points A to B finding him or herself in a space of rest or final destination. The new paintings can in this way be seen as representations of rooms and motorways as they underline a perfect symbol of spaces or movements in terms of experiences and journeys. They stand for unique situations and experiences everyone collects in life to keep as memories. Therefore it is a lot easier to travel and gather “new memories” with less physical baggage, as at our very last journey it is only these memories that count and remain.

The title of the exhibition is far from being a single memory of one person or action, it is rather the sum of all experiences. “In Memoriam“ represents small flashbacks, traces of memories that remind the viewer of something he cannot understand at first glance, but that awakes a certain feeling of admiring a vestige from the past. – SatOne

The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public for viewing through October 3rd, 2015 at the gallery located on 886 Geary st. San Francisco, CA.