Eric Slayton
Eric Slayton is a multi-media Brooklyn-based artist whose work includes photography, video, furniture, and sculpture. Inspired by the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi, Slayton’s approach to both surface and form celebrates the beauty of imperfection. Unrefined surfaces and asymmetrical forms lend to the integrity of the natural processes. Meditation is an omnipresent role in Slayton’s life and carries over to his artistic practice.
His monoliths, constructed out of concrete, lead, and steel, are inspired by tall, linear shapes such as towers, pillars, tree trunks, columns and rock spires: forms that reference both industrial and natural landscapes. The rigid discipline to work with this shape gives Slayton a focal point to start from, and just as the finished pieces are conceptual “guideposts”, they are also physical guides for his creativity. He approaches the medium of concrete as his canvas, shaping and treating its surface with gestural, textural strokes.
Using the tower as his chosen form, Slayton finds both power and calm in its ability to dictate location, while grounding the viewer to take pause and find respite from our every day, often constant distractions.