Conceptual work in Frankfurt /Germany…

CONSERVATION - From the street to the…
Many works created in public spaces have a temporary survival. Paintings get destroyed, painted over or simply buffed.
Whilst years ago its documentation found place in private photo collections or books, the idea of “conservation” has become more important, spreading through different media where publications, internet (including blogs, forums and websites), collectors, galleries and museums play an essential role.

Read about different statements and interpretations:

GRAFFUTURISM
Sat One starts a conversation with “Conservation”. Sat One recently finished his latest Mural titled “Conservation” which portrays a mural with a rectangle cut out where 90% of the painting would have been. Only the edges of the mural remain with the words “From the street to the……..”, leaving you to fill out the next word. Most of us know Sat One for his amazing large scale murals and detailed canvas work. We may be used to the beautiful color and paintings of Sat one, but this new wall in Frankfurt Germany shows us another side to the artist. Sat one reflects on the idea of conservation with this piece as the title suggests. In his words. “CONSERVATION” “Many works created in public spaces have a temporary survival. Paintings get destroyed, painted over or simply buffed. Whilst years ago its documentation found its place in private photo collections or books, the idea of “conservation” has become more important, spreading through different media where publications, internet (including blogs, forums and websites), collectors, galleries and museums play an essential role.”. He doesn’t spell it out in this statement for us only leads us to reflect upon the impermanence of our art form, and its role in the overall history of our work. We love when artists take concept to walls with risk of alienating those that might usually be looking for another colorful picture. Without conversation and proper documentation what will be left? Is the documentation now the final outcome of our murals? If we are to conserve these murals and worry about the legacy does this take away from the ephemeral state graffiti/public art is used to? This mural opens dialogue to so many questions that are important to discuss and we appreciate this artists statement.
When viewing art in public domain most of us coming from a graffiti art background are at peace with walls being temporary, yet as we grow older and start to evolve should we be ok with it. Are we losing history by not protecting its legacy through conservation and proper installations, and is taking pictures and video enough. One of the strengths of our art form is that we are able to cut the red tape and not write grants, get funding, or worry about the politics of public art. We are able to circumvent these bottlenecks and take action in our own hands usually paying for supplies and lifts with our own money. Pictures might be ok, but what about 20 years from now. what if Picasso’s Guernica was painted on the street and all we had was a picture. Would a reproduction suffice?. These and many more questions are raised with this new piece from Sat One, and we thank him for not only his impressive mural but also creating this conversation. I hope blogs take notice and share this new work, as I am interested to what other dialogue it could create.

URBAN PILL
This new mural was painted a couple of days ago by German artist and graphic designer SatOne during a short stay in Frankfurt, Germany.
Titled “Conservation”, the new piece addresses an interesting issue concerning the documentation of graffiti and urban art. We all know that this kind of works don’t last long and it is this characteristic ephemerality which makes it interesting.
As professor Martin Irvine from Georgetown University mentions in an article published in “The Handbook of Visual Culture”, street art is nowadays ”a paradigm of hybridity in global visual culture” a kind of unclassifiable genre that is defined more by real-time practice than by any unified theory, movement or message.
The movement, which is not only both local and global but also intentionally ephemeral is now being documented almost obsessively with good help of digital photography for the Web making possible a constant appropriation and remix of imagery, styles and techniques from all possible sources. In the same article makes professor Irvine an important reflection on the fact that the proliferation of websites and popular media coverage has not only made most street artists aware of the importance of being seen on a global stage, but also made them actively contribute to create this global Web museum by documenting their work digitally as it is executed. The interest shown by the art world in the last years has been overwhelming and reflects that tendency with street and urban art being embraced by established and renowned galleries and museums all around the world.
Like we can see in this new mural, the image implies this transition from street piece to documented and preserved piece in the form of photographs, exhibitions, blogs, etc… The picture, the artwork, has being removed from the wall and being placed somewhere else going in this way from being purely local (the street) to be part of the global community (like this blog). What can I say, clever and interesting.

MTN-WORLD
We’re getting used to being surprised periodically by SatOne´s productions. His last work, fruit of his short stay in Frankfurt, is no exception. SatOne, playing again with his formal line, this time limited by the concept of the piece requirements.
Graffiti is a form of expression with automatic expiration. That might also be why there is so many ideas on how to conserve it, including all the traffic on the internet that concerns it. A more pure way of conserving the works might be following the example of more conventional art forms, and SatOne is doing exactly this by ironizing the idea of bringing street paintings into the galleries. This is why he presents this almost completely “empty” composition supposed to be moved into a “safer” environment. A genius idea that leaves it up to ourselves to imagine what was in the original painting.

Opening 06.04.2013

Tribute to “El Lissitzky” in Krasnoyarsk / Siberia…

Artists: Velvet - Zoer - SatOne - Akue1 - Morik - ZakOne

Idea: Tribute to a painting of El Lissitzky - Artist, architect, designer and an important figure of the Russian avant garde.
The composition of one of his paintings provide the framework for each artist to interpret an urban landscape in his own style.

Original Painting by Lissitzky:

Interpretation by: Velvet - Zoer - SatOne - Akue1 - Morik - ZakOne

Detail - SatOne:

Detail - Zoer / SatOne:

Detail: Velvet / Zoer:

Detail: Akue1 / ZakOne:

“7 lights - 7 lives”
Mit der abstrakten Darstellung seines Geburtsjahres, erschafft SatOne ein Selbstportrait,
indem er der Zahl “77″ die beiden symbolhaften Elemente “Baum” (Jahresringe) + “Licht” zuweist und
verbindet in seiner Arbeit Numerologie mit eigenen Erfahrungen der vergangenen Jahre.
Die gegebene Unterteilung der Fläche deutet auf eine Wasseroberfläche hin, auf der sich die 7 Lichtquellen
spiegeln und Selbstreflektion symbolisieren.

Satone x dirtyface x Molotow from dirtyface on Vimeo.

title: landscape
technique: acrylic on canvas
size: 40 cm x 100 cm
date: 2012
(sold)

title: fetish
technique: acrylic on canvas
size: 180 cm x 80 cm
date: 2012

Read some preview-articles here and here

Thanks + Shout outs: Carolina Jaramillo, Luis G. Giraldo, “Picasso”, Ledania&Cerok, Sofles, Mr.Dheo, 44 Flavours, Rojo&Valentina, Zurik…