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.
Artist Bio
Yasin Malik Jalal (artist)
Yasin Malik Jalal is an artist, designer, and metal fabricator. He is also the Creative Director and Co-Founder of XURO Enterprises. Yasin graduated from Oglethorpe University in May 2016 BFA in Studio Art.
Jason Smith
Jason Smith is an artist blacksmith living with his wife and two children in Decatur, Georgia. He earned his Bachelors in Fine Art from the Corcoran College of Art and Design.
Mike Wsol
Mike Wsol is a multimedia artist, his current projects take the form of interactive sculpture, computer generated models, photographs, drawings and renderings. Wsol has exhibited acrross the country and has been featured in the Art on the Beltline Exhibition in 2012, 2013, & 2016.
James Poulos
James Poulos is a local maker, capenter, and metal fabricator. James has been the lead fabrcator at Smithworks Iron since 2010. James recieved his BFA from the University of Georgia in 2002 and his MFA from the university in Wisconsin in 2006.