Julie Sass

Julie Sass is an artist who, over the past few years, has creatively explored urban and natural landscapes through her “Taking Notes” series. Her work captures a diverse array of scenes, from the textured brickwork of a Berlin wall to the intricate dance of sunlight on a river, and the complex interplay of tree trunks and roots. These elements are vividly translated into her artistic language, where the textures and marks often evoke the raw essence of graffiti or the understated grey of urban concrete.

In her art, Sass engages deeply with the concepts of place and time. Her creations, developed over the last five years, are not just individual pieces but part of a broader narrative, interacting with and enhancing each other. Sass views time as a circular rather than linear phenomenon, an idea that she visually manifests in her work. She arranges her pieces in what she terms “clusters,” which not only converse among themselves but also with the space they inhabit. Through this approach, Sass advocates for a comprehensive perception of reality, where the processes of ‘being’ and ‘becoming’ are intertwined and mutually enriching.

Sass frequently refers to the idea of “flux” when discussing her art, suggesting that reaching a final resolution might not be the ultimate goal, or perhaps is not as significant in her creative process. This is exemplified in her 2023 work “Flow, and Its Other,” which primarily uses blues, greys, and whites to depict the continuous movement of water. The painting features a striking white diagonal line, representing a rare moment of stability in a world of constant change. This notion of fluidity and ongoing transformation is a central theme in her body of work, reinforcing the idea that everything is in a perpetual state of evolution.

Text by: Amanda Church