Sergio Soave
Artist Statement
The shapes and figures in Sergio Soave's works drift like frozen aircraft contrails in rarefied space. Medium hybrids of emblematic and gestural abstraction shape his images into patterned biographical details. These works are derived from microscopic images of the artist’s cell tissue, which serve as armatures for organizing visual space. They reveal and respond to the anxiety of having interior and exterior worlds unmasked, integrated, and reformed. The different areas suggest various impressions, a collage-like effect; individual elements seem to be layered and partially obscured, creating a sense of depth and movement. Soave responds to this phenomenon by producing charismatic unions of formal and conceptual traditions.
The works reflect on the biological phenomena of "motility", a process of independent, calculated movement, that serves as a metaphor for autonomy and sequencing. It defines an entity that is not only able to move but is cunningly self-generating.
Biography
Sergio Soave’s art have been included in over 200 regional, national, and international exhibitions. His works are included in collections of the Butler Museum of American Art, The Royal Museum of Antwerpen, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the Corcoran Museum of Art, and numerous university collections. Residencies and lectures include Nanjing College of Fine Art, Beijing Academy of Fine Art, Jingdezhen Ceramics University, Universidad of Guanajuato, Frans Masereel Studio in Belgium, University of Georgia’s Cortona Program, Artists Image Resource in Pittsburgh, PA, and Peacock Printmaker’s Workshop in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Sergio Soave was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. He received his BFA from the University of Windsor and his MFA from West Virginia University (1987). Soave joined the faculty at WVU in 1988 and served as department chair from 1997 to 2005. In August 2005, he became chair and professor of printmaking in the art department at Ohio State University. He currently is an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences.