Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Back to Basics program / JUNE 2022
Allison Sommers
Germany / USA
allisonsommers.com
About
I am a mixed media artist, working primarily in drawing and
installation, with a history degree from the University of
Virginia. Raised in a military family, I lived across the US,
eventually settling for a decade in New York City before
moving to Berlin in 2019. Spending those formative years
roaming Cold War-Era Air Force Bases continues to resonate
throughout my work, as does the environment of every place
I’ve lived, particularly that of the Chesapeake Bay.
Digestion
My time at Arteles was spent first in contemplation and then
in commotion; after taking the first week to clear my mind,
I screwed my brain around several different projects that
both fed and elbowed past one another, first in fabric, then in
paper, plastic, and cardboard. I made a point of saving nearly
all the trash I made, an accumulated monument of modern
guilt, and spent the bulk of my work time at the residency
digesting it through the gut of my studio.
My work is preoccupied with self-contained worlds and the
recreation of familiar patterns independent of scale— the
vastness of a solitary room, a monumental civilization in a
pinch of earth.
I have exhibited across the US and Europe since 2007,
including solo shows in Los Angeles, New York, and Portland,
Oregon. My work has been published in several anthologies
and a drawing monograph is currently available from Von
Zos.