Erik Saglia
Turin – 1989
Lives and works in Turin.
His artistic research is rooted in a profound exploration of form, material, and perception. Saglia repeatedly tangles the same materials—wood, spray paint, paper, masking tape, rubbings with wax or oil pastels, and epoxy resin—creating works that intrigue the gaze and challenge the viewer. Through these juxtapositions and coexistences, his paintings and site-specific installations investigate the language of geometric abstraction and the organization of social space in the digital era.
Over the years, Saglia has developed a unique technique that has evolved into a ritual, generating a highly recognizable visual code. His work delves into concepts such as cosmogony, pre-genesis, apocalyptic scenarios, and interstellar travel, always in dialogue with the architectural and spatial conditions of the exhibition context. The systematic layering of processes prevents a purely biographical or digital interpretation of his geometric abstractions, underlining the importance of direct presence for their full fruition.
Saglia’s artistic trajectory began with a reinterpretation of the modernist grid, first through the use of graph paper and spray paint, and later through the meticulous application of adhesive tape in orthogonal patterns, set in contrast to organic, camouflage-like spots. This constant redefinition of surface is further explored in his series Goldigger, where geometric abstraction is intertwined with the opulence of gold, and in the more recent Manifesti Satellite, inspired by satellites and the interplay between cosmic and terrestrial dimensions.
Saglia’s work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including: Sphères, Galleria Continua Les Moulins, Paris (2014), Thomas Brambilla Gallery, Bergamo (2014, 2016), Baco, Bergamo (2015), Tile Project Space, Milan (2016) Spazio Buonasera, Torino (2016), Palazzo Fruscione, Salerno (2016) Palazzo Lancia, Torino (2017), Spazio Lampo, Chiasso (2020), Fondazione CRC, Cuneo (2022), Castello di Rivoli (2023), La Triennale, Milano (2023), Luci d’Artista, Costellazione, Palazzo Unione Industriali, Torino (2024), Galerie Romero Paprocki, Paris (2025).
