ABOUT THE ARTIST

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Erik Otto’s work unites the unexpected through the disciplines of abstract painting, sculpture, and installation that stimulate mind, body, and soul. Influenced by graffiti, free dance, and drum culture introduced to him by his peers, Otto branched out and developed a materially-oriented practice heavily guided by improvisation, intuition, and necessity. Exposure to multiple sudden losses, drug addiction, and pain due to physical illness and mental health were commonplace throughout his life thus propelling Otto into his creative work as the driving force to his own inner healing. Themes that embody the human condition, life cycles of existence, and living out a spiritual journey amidst a burdened world are visited and revisited through an endless curiosity of medium and form.

Otto began exhibiting his work immediately upon graduation from San Jose State University in 2005, where he received a degree in Illustration. He lived in San Francisco for 12 years, traveled extensively with 5 years entirely nomadic, frequently visited Mexico City, before he eventually relocated to New York City in 2017 where he currently lives and works.

CONTACT

studio@erikotto.com

GALLERIES

Heron Arts
www.heronarts.com

INSTAGRAM

erikotto

FEATURED PRESS

Shoutout Colorado

Terry Barentsen: Morning Routine #39

Beyond The Studio: Chromatherapy Panel Discussion

MASH SF: Studio Visit

Dirty Laundry: Artist Interview

Studio O+A: Artist Feature

Warby Parker: Artist Spotlight

Typo-graphical: T-Files 040

Cultura Colectiva: Capital Mural

ABOUT THE WORK

Erik Otto’s work utilizes color, light, and space to tap into the human experience. At the core, his atmospheric compositions are inspired by the visceral elements of life—emotive strokes that embody the fluidity of water and circular shapes that echo cycles of the sun, the moon, and regeneration. Depicting moments of balance within abstract landscapes that revel in uncertainty, Otto’s work—simultaneously minimal yet vastly complex—combines soft with raw, light with dark, and smooth with textured in a unique gestural language derived from unconventional tools often accented by the warm glow of neon.

Influenced by spiritual connections within natural environments, Otto’s work explores both ephemerality and permanence amidst an ever evolving existence dominated by constant flux. His work calls attention to birth and death in unison while emphasizing the powerfully fleeting moments in between. Throughout his work, he points to hope in seasons of darkness, stillness by means of acceptance, and breakthrough by way of consistent persistence. By relating through personal experience, he aims to inspire deeper connection and meaning during a current unnecessarily complicated social climate filled with divisiveness and distress.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019
Heron Arts, San Francisco, CA, Press On
American Giant, San Francisco, CA, The American Flag: Interpreted 2

2018
Joint Gallery, Tokyo, Japan, Pop & Street
Luna Rienne Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Quintessential
Brilliant Champions. Brooklyn, NY, Sum of All Parts
American Giant, San Francisco, CA, The American Flag: Interpreted

2017
South Street Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, All In
Heron Arts, San Francisco, CA, Together
Athen B Gallery, San Francisco, CA, 2-Year Anniversary Show

2016
Prjct OMNI, Traverse City, MI, A Theory of Contemplation
The Yard, Brooklyn, NY, Recent Works (curated by Silence is Accurate)
Marin MOCA, Navato, CA, Waste Not
Athen B Galery, Oakland, CA, New Radius
Joseph Gross Gallery, New York, NY, Night & Day
Space236, San Francisco, CA, The Balance

2015
Athen B Gallery, Oakland, CA, CO-LAB
Inner State Gallery, Detroit, MI, Lyric III
Ampersand International Arts, Mexico City, Mexico, Carry On

2014
YBCA, San Francisco, CA, Bay Area Now 7

2013
SFO Museum, San Francisco, CA, The Art of Recology
Hyatt Regency Hotel, San Francisco, CA, Project Grand SF
Adobe Backroom Gallery, San Francisco, CA, We Had Nothing To Do And We Did It
Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA, PARADE
Asterisk Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Future Culture

2012
Fabric8, San Francisco, CA, Color Theory
Project One Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Symbols
Ace Museum, Los Angeles, CA, All in for the 99%
323 East Gallery, Detroit, MI, Lyric 2012

2011
Gallerie NeuroTitan, Berlin, Germany, Permaculture
Mallick Williams & Co., New York, NY, Spectrum
941 Geary Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Indoor Mural Project
Double Punch Gallery, San Francisco, CA, There is No Telling
Gallery Hijinks, San Francisco, CA, The Letter Collector

2010
Primary Flight / Art Basel Miami, Miami, FL, Fresh Produce
Katzen Art Center, Washington DC, Ghost Market x Catalyst
Re:Form School, New York, NY, Re:Form School
941 GEARY, San Francisco, CA, A New Beginning
Intersection For the Arts, San Francisco, CA, 45th Anniversary
Manifest Equality, Los Angeles, CA, Manifest Equality
White Walls Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Never a Dull Moment
Fabric8, San Francisco, CA, 1(4) Years

2009
The Shooting Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Terrestrial Syndrome
Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, Annual Benefit Show
Shadow’s Space, Philadelphia, PA, Climb in the Back Window

2008
Charmingwall, New York City, NY, Tiny Big Top Show
Reaves Gallery, San Francisco, CA, If These Walls Could Speak

2007
Project:Gallery, Culver City, CA, Head in the Trees

2006
Ayden Gallery, Vancouver, BC, Canada, Brave Art
Compound Gallery, Portland, OR, Supernal
Thinkspace, Los Angeles, CA, Square Foot Show
Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City, CA, Halloween Show
Thinkspace, Los Angeles, CA, Triamese

2005
The Lab 101 Gallery, Culver City, CA, The Birdhouse Show
Gallery Anno Domini, San Jose, CA, Fresh Produce