Sasha Meret - Artist@TU - Centrul Multicultural al Universității Transilvania din Brașov

Sasha Meret was born in Romania in 1955. He began studying art at an early age, being selected in fifth grade to attend an art program for the specially gifted. In 1974 he finished ”N. Tonitza Fine Art High School and in 1979 got a MS in Economics at ASE Bucharest. He continued to study art privately, while working in design and animation and freelancing as an illustrator. After his arrival in New York (1987), he studied printmaking with Tony Harrison at Columbia University. He currently lives and works in New York City, and he had exhibits in Europe, Japan, China and the U.S. Meret's work encompasses a wide range of techniques and styles, combining painting, drawing, monotype, working in a variety of styles, from representational to abstract. His imagery reflng, photography, digital imaging with printmaking techniques like intaglio, woodcut, aquatiects his spiritual explorations, blending European, African, Asian, and esoteric symbolism in a highly personal visual language. Alternating figuration with abstraction Meret searches for a balance between ideas and emotions. His latest work moves towards the conceptual - materialized in sculptures/assemblages and large scale objects. Following closely the development of new technologies he has a strong portfolio off 3D printed sculpture. "Closing the circle", so to speak, incorporating movement and motion as another dimension - a strong video-art portfolio has become a source of inspiration for new paintings. In 2014 he received the prestigious CODAvideo award for Concept. For over 20 years Sasha Meret collaborated as a weekly illustrator for "The New York Times", "International Herald Tribune", "Washington Post", etc. and has illustrated several books for "Simon and Schuster", "Harper Collins" "Henry Holt" and other publishing houses. His work is part of many collections, such as: Pfizer, Sony Corporation, Joyce-Gilmore Mertz Foundation, Henry Buhl Foundation, Kolodzei Art Foundation, Art Lin YuNu Foundation, Rafael Collection, Pall Corporation, Romanian Cultural Foundation, Museum of Art and Design/NYC, Queens Museum, Carcassonne Museum, and a number of other corporate and private collections.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I view the creative process as a search to find ways of revealing the unexpected – the perpetual changing nature of everything that surrounds us. My intuitive tendency is to look for patterns – which I identify and term “modules”: “interchangeables” that can potentially be re-deployed; recycled elements as components of creation and of assemblage. From my perspective, this is the crux of the existential nexus – a key to both an understanding of the work and an intrinsic aspect of the revealed universe. I explore the interaction between shape and pattern in sculptural constructs. “Modules” become objects drawn from every day life, like parts of cutlery, grids, hardware, or other kinds of familiar “ready mades”. I rarely make sketches, rather, I allow my modules to guide me towards new shapes. It is like a leap of faith – the reward is that moment when you can surprise yourself. I see art, essentially as being defined by associating elements like mystery, spontaneity and often humor. It is actually just a starting point in my exploration of themes ranging from philosophy, history, mythology, religion. In my work I am constantly questioning and I am ready to revise any point of view, tackling theories, concepts, and historical events, concurrently reversing perspective or reinterpreting facts to inevitably make the world surrounding us become a little more reachable. My intent is to capture that elusive moment of transformation that is the fabric of what we call life and the energies that are behind it. I see the creative process as a continuous search for new challenges - new ideas that lead to new techniques and the other way around.

GUEST LECTURER

2005 - Invited as Guest Artist by the Government of Pintung Province in Taiwan for the Peninsula Arts Festival. Delivered a series of lectures on art as therapy at National Pintung University and art presentations at several schools

2006 - Invited by Beijing University Art Department to make a printmaking demonstration and lecture about my approach to art.

2017 - Took part in the Parkinson’s and Creativity event at the JCC Manhattan on Sunday, April 2nd, co-sponsored by NYU School of Medicine.

nov. 21- Artist Talk to PHD candidates at NYU School of Medicine/ Neurology Department.

2018 - Artist Talk at Gettysburg College

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2017 Incendiary Artifacts, Shchukin Gallery, New York, USA.

2016 -2017 Selected Works, Rafael Gallery, New York, USA.

2015 Fast / digiuno, AMY D ARTE SPAZIO, Milano, Italy.

2013 Domestic Ceremonial Artifacts, RCINY, New York, USA.

2011 The Plastic Menagerie, OK Harris Works of Art, fttt

2010 Carturesti Gallery, Bucharest, Romania.

2010 Chelsea West Gallery, New York, NY

2009 Precious Aggression, An Obsessive Reflection, ICRNY Gallery, New York, NY

2008 Proffitt, Thacher & Wood Gallery, New York, NY

2007 The Gallery @ New World Stages, New York, NY

2007 QuarkArt Galllery, Beijing, China

2006 Myabi Gallery, Nagoya, Japan

2006 Artislong Gallery, Kyoto, Japan

2006 Maison du Chevalier, Carcassonne, France

2005 Triskel Gallery, Puget, France

2005 Kronart Galllery, Brasov, Romania

Sasha Meret s-a născut în România în 1955. A început să studieze arta la o vârstă fragedă, în clasa a cincea fiind invitat să participe la un program pentru copii înzestrați. În 1974, a absolvit Liceul de Arte Plastice „Nicolae Tonitza”, iar în 1975 a terminat un program de masterat la Academia de Științe Economice din București. A continuat să studieze arta pe cont propriu, în timp ce lucra drept designer și illustrator. După sosirea în New York, în 1987, și-a continuat studiile în domeniul artei la Columbia University, sub îndrumarea lui Tony Harrison. În prezent, locuiește și lucrează în New York, expunând cu regularitate în Europa, Japonia, China și Statele Unite. Opera lui Sasha Meret include tehnici și maniere artistice diverse, combinând pictura și desenul în stiluri care variază de la figurativ la abstract. Imaginarul lui îmbină simbolismul european, african, asiatic și esoteric cu un limbaj vizual profund personal.

În 2014, a fost laureatul prestigiosului premiu CODAvideo la categoria Artă conceptuală. Sasha Meret a colaborat săptămânal timp de mai mult de 20 de ani ca ilustrator pentru publicațiile „New York Times”, „International Herald Tribune”, „Washington Post” ș.a. și a ilustrat carti publicate la edituri precum Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins sau Henry Holt. Lucrările sale sunt include în colecții prestigioase precum Pfizer, Sony Corporation, Joyce-Gilmore Mertz Foundation, Henry Buhl Foundation, Kolodzei Art Foundation, Art Lin YuNu Foundation, Rafael Collection, Pall Corporation, Romanian Cultural Foundation, Museum of Art and Design/NYC, Queens Museum, Carcassonne Museum și în colecții private.

PROFESOR INVITAT

2005 – Participare cu o serie de prelegeri despre funcția terapeutică a artei la Universitatea Națională din Pintung, în cadrul Festivalului de artă Peninsula, la invitația Guvernului Provinciei Pingtung din Taiwan

2006 – Prelegere despre artă la Universitatea din Beijing

2017 – Participare la un eveniment dedicat legăturii dintre boala Parkinson și creativitate, la JCC Manhattan, la invitația Școlii de Medicină din cadrul New York University.

2017 – Prelegere la Școală de Medicină din cadrul New York University

2018 – Prelegere la Gettysburg College

EXPOZIȚII SOLO

2017 Incendiary Artifacts, Shchukin Gallery, New York, SUA.

2016 -2017 Selected Works, Rafael Gallery, New York, SUA.

2015 Fast / digiuno, AMY D ARTE SPAZIO, Milano, Italia.

2013 Domestic Ceremonial Artifacts, RCINY, New York, SUA.

2011 The Plastic Menagerie, OK Harris Works of Art

2010 Carturesti Gallery, București, România.

2010 Chelsea West Gallery, New York, SUA

2009 Precious Aggression, An Obsessive Reflection, ICRNY Gallery, New York, SUA

2008 Proffitt, Thacher & Wood Gallery, New York, SUA