New alt_space Exhibition in January December 19 2020
ERICKA SOBRACK
A Faint Whisper in the Dark
January 2 - February 19, 2021
Opening Reception: Saturday, January 2, 4-7 PM
About the Exhibition
For her alt_space exhibition at Arts on Douglas, emerging Orlando artist Ericka Sobrack presents a series of austere yet mysterious suburban landscapes. Sobrack is known for painting scenes at night or dusk that incorporate artificial light sources to illuminate her subject matter. In her exhibition statement, she explains that through her paintings she “challenges traditional depictions of reality by orchestrating juxtapositions between the mundane and the eerie to create conflict and tension.” This can be seen in her painting RV, depicting a parked RV and single lawn chair situated under the dim glow of a lamplight overhead. An ordinary scene on the surface, Sobrack adds elements that urge the viewer to think deeper about what might be happening in the scene, such as the open gate in the distance and light on in the rear window of the RV. She elaborates, ‘’By deconstructing and reassembling nostalgic domestic imagery with stark lighting and selective color, I suggest unanticipated narratives and psychological experiences that may be considered ‘suburban nightmares’.”
While Sobrack does not depict human figures in her paintings, a human presence is often implied. Her piece, Playground No. 2, for example, appears to be a desolate scene, yet the low sweeping angle and intensity of the lighting on the playground implies a car’s headlights, while the warm glow emitting from the window in the background also suggests a nearby presence out of sight.
Scale is also an important element in Sobrack’s paintings. The work in this exhibition ranges from 8 x 12 to 60 x 96 inches in size. Sobrack states, “Working small suggests an intimate viewing experience, whereas the larger scale creates a different kind of presence. I am often interested in the presence of large paintings, where they can physically dominate a space and push the level of immersion.”
About the Artist:
Ericka Sobrack was born and raised in a small midwestern town in Minnesota. She specializes in paintings portraying suburban domestic scenes of America in both acrylic and oil paints. Sobrack has participated in regional, national, and international juried exhibitions and was also a 2019 recipient of the Artists-in-Action residency program at the Maitland Art Center. She currently resides in Orlando, Florida and graduated in May 2019 with a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Central Florida.