If you feel like someone’s watching you the next time you head uptown via Providence Road, there’s a good reason. Someone is. 

Not “someone,” exactly. More like “something.” This summer, Charlotte artist Matthew Steele installed “Santé,” a large wall sculpture on the exterior facade of Charlotte Skin and Laser on Providence Road.

The work, which was cut and assembled from more than 150 sheets of aluminum composite to resemble a human face, was a commission originally conceived by Dr. Elizabeth Roston, owner of Charlotte Skin and Laser. 

It took a team of Charlotte creatives to make Roston’s vision a reality. After hearing the idea, Sonya Pfeiffer, owner of Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, contacted Lauren Harkey, owner of Hodges Taylor Contemporary Gallery. Lauren, in turn, reached out to Matthew.  According to an article on the Hodges Taylor website, Roston’s ultimate wish was to bring new character to her building while adding an artistic contrast to the style of newer construction being built around her practice. 

With the help of Matthew Steele, gallery owners, the UNC Charlotte’s College of Art + Architecture, several fabricators and a construction team, she did it.

Fast Facts about Santé:

• More than 150 sheets of aluminum composite were used to make it
• More than 10,000 nuts, bolts and brackets were needed to assemble it
• It’s 20 feet wide and 13 feet tall
• 15 different sections were assembled on-site to build the final sculpture

DIRECTIONS: 130 Providence Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207

PHOTO GALLERY BY LYDIA BITTNER-BAIRD