Currently at the Narwhal Contemporary in Toronto, Souther Salazar has a new solo show on view entitled Attic Transmissions. Continuing his signature whimsical style of painting, the Portland-based artist has created a fresh batch of works that explore a new process of taking fragments created at different times and then merging them into new compositions.
His thoughts on the exhibition – “The work for this show came to me in fragments, written and doodled while living in Scrapper’s Attic. In the beginning I made piles of small drawings and notes. Each day I’d add a little more, or chop some of them up, creating patterns and possibilities for the future. Eventually, these particles of drawings grew and connected into larger systems, intuitively finding their way together and collectively becoming the final art piece. These are the attic transmissions.
I was interested in pursuing the spirit of spontaneity for this exhibition. Leading up to the show, I began carrying a suitcase filled with multiple sketchbooks and archival materials with which to play and experiment wherever I went. I wanted to allow the possibility of making art that can unfold at anytime, tuning into the frequency of capturing fragmented transmissions that lead to creativity, and actively connecting the planes of collecting and experimenting with the finality of making compelling work. Like little ghosts, or seeds carried by the wind, the opportunity to channel these intangible moments of inspiration can be elusive and fleeting. Through my life-long collecting practice it’s become easier to secure transitory moments; however, in the process of sifting through these memories to find true meaning it can often feel like searching through a dusty attic filled with unsorted boxes, a mess of memory and emotion that needs to be continually reconsidered, organized and contextualized for the present.
Through the process of becoming more aware and harmonious with the attic transmissions, I imagine myself suiting up and soaring through my own mind with ease, navigating the endless landscapes within and traveling at will to that area where a powerful memory exists. I visualize being able to browse through a magical inner space library where every collected memory or creative impulse has been archived into a perfect system. And every broken fragmented thought or dream is preserved and sorted into useful categories, all laid out with mediated clarity.”
Discuss Souther Salazar here.
