Erik Sommer

Erik Sommer is an American abstract artist and curator whose work explores controlled chance, material transformation, and the manipulation of time. Working primarily in stained spray paint on raw canvas, he creates pieces through layering, soaking, and transferring paint — allowing each work to exist within an absence of time.

His work is driven by the interplay between intention and accident. By layering raw canvas and heavily soaking the outer layer until paint seeps through, he produces aleatory marks that appear both bold and aged — vibrant yet blanched.

Born in 1978 in Duluth, Minnesota, Erik Sommer is the founder of Mott Projects, a contemporary art space in New York. He lives and works in New York, where his practice continues alongside his curatorial work.