Artist Statement

This work will be the first large outdoor sculpture by the local Atlanta artist Yasin Jalal. “Ophelia” is an abstract interpretation and metaphor of the marriage between nature and industry within the context of the history and spirit Atlanta, its people and enviroment. Atlanta is historically known for being a hub of industry and economy in south and monument to the confederate defeat. After the Sherman’s ‘March to Sea’, the city rose from its Antelbellum ashes and forged its self a new identity as a symbol for the “New South”. This work is a geometric abstract sculpture. It is constructed out of 2-inch steel tubing and is linear and structual representing the railroad and steel industries that replaced the cotton-heavy economy after the war. The form is inspired by the organic granite geological features of the Georgia Piedmont region. The work will be painted with a color palette and gradient inspired by the color gradient present when steel or iron is heated and forged.