Clockwise from top left corner:
Collapse XVII, 42” x 33”, Collage, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic, Graphite on Wood, Private Collection;
Sculpture in progress from Pittsburgh Center for the Arts 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year Exhibition (via @fragmentation);
Building that appears abandoned;
Seth Clark in his Studio;
Closeup of Clark's work (via @fragmentation);
Installation that tunnels through the wall from Pittsburgh Center for the Arts 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year Exhibition (via @fragmentation);
Collapse VIII, 26” x 42”, Collage, Charcoal, Pastel, Graphite on Paper, Private Collection;
Circular Installation from Pittsburgh Center for he Arts 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year Exhibition (via @fragmentation & @thenewyorkthing);
Collapse, 48” x 4, Collage, Charcoal, Pastel, Acrylic, Graphite on Wood, Private Collection
My work focuses on deteriorating architecture. I see an inherent honesty in the face of my subject. These man-made structures, designed to be huge forces of permanence, are now collapsing in on themselves. Among all of the clutter—the shards of wood and layers of rubble—there remains a gentle resolve. It is as if the buildings were content with their circumstance. As I work, I study these structures incessantly. They are on the brink of ruin, yet appear dignified in their state. Something very energized and present is trying to escape out of a slow history of abandonment. These images are created through an ambitious layering process. I collage with found paper to reflect the fragmented and complex tactility of decay. Once a dimensional foundation is achieved, various mixed media are used to bring definition and depth to these raw materials. The processes of collage and drawing alternate between themselves lending to a seamless blend of the two mediums.
Clark grew up in Seekonk, Massachusetts and studied close to home in Providence at the Rhode Island School of Design. He earned his BFA in Graphic Design, focusing primarily on print design and alternative typography. During this time, he discovered collage. This method of hands-on, spatial development took a major role in his digital work as well as his physical works on wood and paper. His drawings and paintings have shown nationally including exhibitions in the Carnegie Museum of Art and the the Chautauqua Institution, Recent honors include Best in Show at the Three Rivers Arts Festival and publication in New American Paintings. Clark is a 2012 Flight School Fellow and has been named Pittsburgh’s 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. He is the recipient of three Design Excellence Awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Pittsburgh.
Currently (through November 1st): Pittsburgh Center for the Arts 2015 Emerging Artist of the Year Exhibition, https://center.pfpca.org/exhibitions/2015-emerging-artist-year-seth-clark