S t e v e S A B E L L A
In Exile artwork (2008) was about the state of mind of living in permanent mental exile. It was about fragmentation, disorientation, confusion and dislocation. Sabella tries to give a visual form to his life as exile & alienation are at the core of his life and accordingly his art. It seems that Sabella has managed to slowly GLUE his fragments so that they appear complete in a healthier way. Before, they were torn apart in every direction, where now they make some form of a unity. Hence, 'he is more stable'. He writes: I think at this stage of my life, I managed to transcend this state of mind. Just like my journey to penetrate my psyche to give a visual form to my fragmented state of mind for the IN EXILE artwork & others, it occurred to me that I should journey to the beautiful side of my brain and unlock the aesthetic and beauty buried there and give these a visual form. I feel I am IN TRANSITION - in a new state of mind - euphoria |
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euphoria 2010 WATCH a 4 minute TV documentary (visual journey) on this work produced by IKONO-TV - click here |
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In contrast, the Euphoria triptych is a joyous retinal explosion. Cut and assembled from hundreds of fragments of trees, like those shown In Transition, the resulting photomontages of organic fluidity emanate cathartic relief and a transcendence of the state of ‘mental exile.’ Christa Paula - The Empty Quarter Gallery Solo Exhibition - FULL REVIEW |
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In contrast to in exile that was composed of windows and appearing static, euphoria is based on trees. I am uprooting myself it is like dancing in the air galactic revival blood moving in my veins again neuronic a spark a rebirth
euphoria
euphoria, lambda print, Diasec mount 155 / 127 cm. Edition 1/6 |
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RELATED REVIEWS |
EXODUS AND BACK (2011) it then seems as though Sabella’s In Transition hit the nail right on the head and snowballed into a mental ecstasy. in the same week that he shot images for In Transition, came Euphoria, “like an explosion!” here, the images take on a chromosomal quality; the apparent veins and arteries clearly connect to one another and Sabella’s dna is unmistakably lucid. |
Steve Sabella in Conversation with Sara Rossino This is when I broke my bones and changed my skin. Blood was flowing again in my veins; a spark hit me, ignition and a rebirth. This is when the euphoric explosion occurred and which was followed by the sprinkle of stars - I am free. Hence, with Euphoria, the form had to change and shift. Instead of solid windows, I looked for something more organic – trees; a form that gives a feeling of movement, change, and revival. I was uprooting myself. |
Steve Sabella - I am From Jerusalem In contrast, the Euphoria triptych is a joyous retinal explosion. Cut and assembled from hundreds of fragments of trees, like those shown In Transition, the resulting photomontages of organic fluidity emanate cathartic relief and a transcendence of the state of ‘mental exile.’
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Steve Sabella: In Exile "...These contorted passageways through his own psyche led the artist to the roots of his wounds and gave him an inkling of the possibility of healing. While the destructiveness of being uprooted was at the center of In Exile, Sabella’s newest works move, release and liberation into the foreground. Euphoria (2010) alludes to the blissful feeling of being freed of mental fetters. This feeling – possibly short-lived, as the artist himself concedes – is expressed in playful-seeming, uprooted trees..." |
Steve Sabella Euphoria (2010) heralds a lifting of the state of 'mental exile', the realisation that identity is liquid and situational and that choice of context is an option. It is perhaps not surprising that it was created in physical exile. Montaged from hundreds of shots of trees, the resulting image of organic fluidity signifies cathartic relief, emanating a sense of the ecstatic and the sublime. Anthropomorphised shapes dance against the softly pattered background forming ever new aesthetic possibilities in the promise of limitless expansion. |
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Euphoria and Beyond Light shines through the branches of trees, caught in floating movements, ephemeral and fragile like the first rays of morning light after a long and dark night. Here, a cautious hope enters Sabella’s universe, a hope that gains in momentum in “Euphoria”, a triptych celebrating the euphoric deliverance from the mental bonds of anxiety in what might be called a “mental heterotopia”. Through the use of a similar technique of multi-angled photomontages as in “In Exile”, each of the three single pieces show a kaleidoscope of up-rooted trees. But their up-rootedness does not make them appear doomed, rather they seem to stretch out their branches, circling around each other in a light-hearted dance. |
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