“Dance with the waves, move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.” -Christy Ann Martine
When looking to reflect on one’s own humanity, artists look to nature. The Inside-Out gallery featured artist, SaraMarie Bottaro, takes beautifully ornate organic patterns and transforms them into the twisting powerful images of the sea. This theme explores the duality of the ocean—its unpredictability and infinite movement. The fluidity of each stroke echoes the ebb and flow of tide, bringing us closer to ourselves and somehow renewed with each visit to the shore.
Artist Statement
The Ocean was my first place of pilgrimage. To enter her influence was to be formed all over again, scrubbed clean, and reinvigorated. I was in awe every time from the first glittering glimpse, coming around a curve from a high mesa. The horizon was a blend of sky and water forming the edge of the known. I always thought of that place on the horizon as beyond humanity, somewhere immensely powerful and mysterious.
Swimming alone past the breakers taught me humility. In a place with rough surf and riptides, there’s a collective understanding shared by everyone in the water. It’s clear we’re all temporary specks in the ocean, that she’s infinitely more powerful than all of humanity combined. By nearly all accounts, the ocean is the beginning of life on earth. I think of her always as pure wild power, Creator and Destroyer. The Ocean constantly acts as both cradle and grave. She is tumultuous change, and she is great, roiling potential.
I’m so grateful to hold the memory of her movement in my bones. I think I paint the ocean even when I believe I’m working on other subject matter. Underwater rhythms make sense to me; I see the rolling and curling patterns and intuitive how to push them towards watery reality. With the paintings displayed here, I’m exploring the alluring and repelling density of life in the Ocean. The reality of life and death thriving together like this reminds me that the whole world is constantly renewing. What seems lost is already feeding what comes next. In our current moment, I need to keep this reminder especially close.
About SaraMarie Bottaro
Somerville artist SaraMarie Bottaro (she/her) works principally in ink and acrylic to create her lyrical, abstract pieces. Her art generally explores stories of the sacred feminine in the Ancient Mediterranean. Bottaro received her BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston concurrently with her BA in Peace and Justice Studies from Tufts University. SaraMarie is co-founder, with incarcerated poet Spoon Jackson, of artist collective Rabbits of Realness. The Rabbits publish zines and run workshops in the Greater Boston Area centered around letter writing, creativity, and mental health. This is Bottaro’s third solo show. She has also shared her artwork with the public in over 25 group exhibitions. Her work is represented in numerous private collections internationally and that of the Tufts University Chaplaincy.
Find out more about SaraMarie’s work by visiting,
www.saramariebottaro.com
About the Inside-Out Gallery
The Inside-OUT Gallery is located in the CVS Window in Davis Square, a unique space that allows the public to view an eclectic array of works from artists and local organizations each month. The mission of the Somerville Arts Council is to cultivate and celebrate the creative expressions of the Somerville community. Through innovative collaborations and quality programming we work to make the arts an integral part of life reflective of our diverse city.