Coming off of his stint as one of the featured artists on David Zwirner’s Platform, David Surman sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about contradictions, pathetic truths, painting natural subjects, and the irreducible tension that leads him to make the pictures he does. I see the process of looking at art as part of … Read more
Nils Jendri sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about hostels, using spray paint as a brush, earning a PhD in philosophy, and dreaming colors. “Painting is to enjoy the pure moment.” (ES) Describe your work for us.(NJ) I usually paint with spray paint. The one brush I have I use sometimes for the first … Read more
Cindy Phenix sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about conceptual and phenomenal tension, being more experimental with her materials, the ambiguity of narrative, and beginning each painting with her favorite brush. I like to suggest the process my paintings go through, without revealing it completely. (ES) Describe your work for us.(CP) My work is … Read more
Moffat Takadiwa sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about cultural identity, the mobilization of material, Tapfuma Gutsa, and the Mbare Art Space. I want to start a dialogue around colonial residue in Africa. (ES) Describe your work for us.(MT) I elevate daily remains of discarded consumer wastes and residue into sculptural forms that engage … Read more
Tyrrell Winston sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about celebrity as commodity, embedded history, David Hammons, and the shadows that define public facing figures. I am fascinated with giving new life to the broken and overlooked. (ES) Describe your work for us.(TW) Most of my work is rooted on the street/road. It revolves around … Read more
Marco Paul Lorenzetti sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about excess, the universal idea, memories of fishing, and committing to the process. My greatest surprise is when meaning is created without intention. (ES) Describe your work for us.(MPL) My work is about my life and memories. I use narrative as a structure to paint … Read more
Samuel Jablon sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about his background in poetry, Joan Mitchell, feeling optimistically doomed, and taking his work to the next level. Once I start painting all I care about is the paint. (ES) First, describe your work for us.(SJ) My work is about poetry as much as it is … Read more
Gabrielle Graessle sits down with Erik Sommer to talk about The Forgetful Angel, her two greyhounds, her desire to open an artist residency, and the pros and cons of living in nowhereland. The drawings are not looking for a result. (ES) Describe your work for us.(GG) I draw a lot, all that surrounds me. What … Read more
Olve Sande checks in from Oslo to speak with Erik Sommer about the influence of place, how he conceives his work, being inspired by reading, and testing new pieces against the mess of daily life. To work and to make things is just another way of thinking. (ES) Tell us a bit about your background. … Read more
Fresh off his show with Pam Glick at Ober Gallery, Max Frintrop checks in with Erik Sommer to talk about simple tomato sauces, gazing into a void, the rush of small ideas, and assisting with the fight against Coronavirus. Painting and I, this is a symbiosis. (ES) First, describe your work for us.(MF) It is … Read more