As in much of his work, German artist Rafael Gerlach aka SatOne is influenced by the surroundings of the walls he paints. The same can be said of Breaking Monotony, a stunning mural painted in Giessen, Germany for this year’s River Tales festival and inspired by the parking space where the mural is located at.
According to the artist, the mural was inspired by the front and rear parts of the parked vehicles, the recurring shapes you first notice when facing the wall standing in between the lines of cars.
The mural is according to Rafael, the mural is a personal interpretation of the first impressions of the monotony of the parking space dominated by black, grey and silver cars lined up one after the other.
To visually disturb this monotony, SatOne inserts chaotic, overlapping patterns and distorted elements into his painting, but keeping the rectangular shape of the parking space as an overall frame/composition.
Breaking Monotony is yet another good example of Rafael’s style, specially the one developed during the past couple of years. His creations, non-figurative in the essence, represent imaginary worlds and abstract forms that open up for several interpretations capturing moments of distorted realities. Precise shapes, stunning colour choices and transitions give shape to an interesting painterly universe that invites to reflection.
About the artist
Rafael Gerlach aka SatOne, was born in Venezuela in 
1977 from German parents. At the age of two he and his family moved back to Munich where he currently lives and works. After starting out in graffiti in the 90s, then training as a graphic designer a few years later, he gradually developed a twofold field of exploration combining abstraction and colour, and revealing an introspective reflection that connects the work of art and the spectator. Self-proclaimed independent artist, SatOne prefers to not be confined to any movement, and regards his studio as an experimental laboratory where he gives shape to a rich, free aesthetic which is open to personal analysis.
Author: Fran
Founder and editor of Urbanite. Street Art lover who after the finishing her MA thesis on the Mexican and Norwegian muralist movement in the 1920-50s, developed a fascination for street art and graffiti that eventually led to collaborations with different art blogs, including the creation of this one.
