Artist’s Statement

My art occupies the juncture between Nature and Culture.

In "Cromos" and "New Light on Rome" the universal beauty and power of the solar spectrum, one of Nature’s most fundamental forces, is superimposed on the surfaces and structure of some of the most beautiful public buildings in Italy.

Because the sun’s angle, intensity and color continually change with the hour, day, and season, the art, the ancient monuments, the trains and the stations are continually perceived in a fresh, new light.

Here one can experience the aesthetic and spiritual wholeness of Nature while living within the fabric of contemporary urban Culture.
"Cromos" reminds us that all human life and our useful inventions are totally dependent on the delicate balance of Nature - our life support system. In addition to it’s aesthetic value, I want to use the emotional impact of my art to wake people up about our global ecological crisis. "

“La mia arte si occupa della connessione tra natura e cultura. In “Cromos” la bellezza ed il potere dello spettro solare, una delle forze più fondamentali della natura, viene sovrimposta sulle superfici e sulle strutture di alcuni dei più bei edifici pubblici d’Italia.

Grazie all’angolazione del sole, l’intensità e IL colore cambiano continuamente con IL passare delle ore, dei giorni e delle stagioni. L’arte, i treni e le stazioni, viene percepita continuamente in una maniera fresca e sotto una luce inaspettata.

Vivendo nei fabbricati DI una cultura urbana contemporanea, possiamo vivere l’esperienza in una estetica Ed in una spiritualità completa della natura.

"Cromos" e "New Light on Rome" ci ricorda che la vita umana e le sue invenzioni utili dipendono completamente dal sole e dall’equilibrio delicato della natura - IL sistema DI supporto della nostra vita. Oltre al valore estetico, voglio utilizzare l’impatto emozionale dalla MIA arte per risvegliare la coscienza delle persone sulla crisi ecologica globale.”

Biography

Peter Erskine's "Secrets of the Sun: Millennial Meditations" is a culmination of his interest in the interplay of light, space, and architecture. For thirty years his sculpture has explored the way in which light falls on modulated surfaces. "Secrets of the Sun" uses the emotional impact of art to address the full range of nature from its most elemental expression as pure light to its most complex expression as global ecology.

After Erskine graduated from Yale in 1963, he traveled to India on a Fulbright Fellowship. The play of light on the relief surfaces of classical Indian sculpture continues to influence Erskine's work.

Throughout the 1980's, Erskine focused on site-specific architectural sculpture. This work was shown throughout the United States and Europe, including New York's Whitney Museum Sculpture Biennials. His work is included in numerous public, corporate, and private art collections worldwide.

In 1989 and 1990 Erskine invented a new interactive Solar Spectrum art medium. In 1992 "Secrets of the Sun: Millennial Meditations" premiered at the ancient Trajan's Market in the Roman Forum, an exhibition sponsored by the Frederick R Weisman Art Foundation. In 1993 the City of Berlin sponsored "Secrets of the Sun" (SOS) as the cultural centerpiece for their bid for the 2000 Olympics. SOS opened at historic Union Station in Los Angeles in 1995. SOS has received wide coverage in the global media: eight magazine cover stories in four languages, over 150 articles in the world press, and six global satellite TV broadcasts. TV and radio stories featuring Erskine's Solar Rainbow Art have been broadcast in over 100 countries.

Sun Dance, the first permanent SOS artwork was completed in 1997 at Puente Hills in Southern California

In 1998 Erskine completed installation of the SOS project at the Earth Centre in North Yorkshire, England, and two permanent installations at the "Sonne, Mond, und Sterne" exhibition in Essen, Germany.

In 2000, CROMOS, Erskine's Solar Spectrum Environmental Art, was installed in the Milan, Florence, and Rome railway stations, and 30 high speed bullet trains. Sponsorship was given by the World Wildlife Fund and Ferrovie dello Stato, the Italian state railway. In 2001 the CROMOS artwork in Milan's Central Station was acquired as a permanent installation.

"New Light on Rome 2000" ran for seven months in five ancient Roman sites sponsored by the City of Rome and Bettoja Hotels. The year 2000 also saw the installation of the "Rainbow Sundial Calendar" at the ECOS Environmental Park in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

Future SOS exhibitions and permanent installations are being developed for U.S. and Australian hospitals, a German subway sation, and an Italian train station. Please visit Peter's website, www.ErskineSolarart.net, for further information and photographs of the projects.