Peter Soriano

Maine-and-New York based artist Peter Soriano is a sculptor who, in recent years, has turned his practice to drawing.

Yet even now, he retains the distinct eye of a sculptor. His wall drawings and works on paper bring to life an intense, almost scientific process of observation and documentation that he uses to capture the unstable physical properties of the world around him.

Peter Soriano (United States (born Philippines), born 1959), *Ilulissat, Disko Bugt* ,2021. Graphite, spray paint and acrylic paint, 10 x 28 feet. © Peter Soriano.

The wall drawing Ilulissat, Disko Bugt is part of an ongoing project that documents the rapidly changing natural environment of the High North, specifically snow, glaciers, and icebergs. The project began in 2018 when, at intervals over a period of two weeks, the artist measured, recorded, and traced a melting pile of snow in his backyard in Penobscot, Maine. That simple initial investigation eventually led Soriano to a remote village near the town of Ilulissat, Greenland, where, in 2021, he executed a series of drawings inspired by icebergs calved from the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier. (Ice calving is the breaking of ice chunks from the edge of a glacier.)

Day after day, perched on the hillsides and shore of Disko Bay, in the North Atlantic, Soriano watched and sketched the icebergs as they drifted by, collided, or collapsed. The outcome is a group of small- scale ink drawings on paper as well as the large, site-specific Ilulissat, Disko Bugt. The schematized wall drawing is based on geometry, free-line drawing, color, and texture. Its choppy, erratic lines echo the impermanence of icebergs. Collectively, these works address the impact of climate change and the instability of the planet we live on.

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Guest UserFebruary 11, 20222022 nat artist

Peter Soriano

Maine-and-New York based artist Peter Soriano is a sculptor who, in recent years, has turned his practice to drawing.

Yet even now, he retains the distinct eye of a sculptor. His wall drawings and works on paper bring to life an intense, almost scientific process of observation and documentation that he uses to capture the unstable physical properties of the world around him.

Explore more artworks from North Atlantic Triennial

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Peter Soriano

Maine-and-New York based artist Peter Soriano is a sculptor who, in recent years, has turned his practice to drawing.

Yet even now, he retains the distinct eye of a sculptor. His wall drawings and works on paper bring to life an intense, almost scientific process of observation and documentation that he uses to capture the unstable physical properties of the world around him.

Explore more artworks from North Atlantic Triennial

VISITEXHIBITIONSPROGRAMS & EVENTSPMA FILMSJOIN & GIVELearnWINSLOW HOMER STUDIO

Art For AllSustainabilityABOUT THE PMADonate OnlinePRESS ROOMANNUAL REPORTSPMA Recommends

Facility RentalBOARD OF TRUSTEEScareersDIRECTORYIMAGE SERVICESTerms of UseContact US

LOG IN: Staff | Docents | Trustees

VISIT
EXHIBITIONS
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
PMA FILMS
JOIN & GIVE
Learn
WINSLOW HOMER STUDIO

Art For All
Sustainability
ABOUT THE PMA
Donate Online
PRESS ROOM
ANNUAL REPORTS
PMA Recommends

Facility Rental
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
careers
DIRECTORY
IMAGE SERVICES
Terms of Use
Contact US