Post by Chris Wolfe on Feb 15, 2005 17:45:00 GMT -5
PERSA ZULA
SNAPSHOT REPORTER
Energy Forms, the first in the PULSE Series, opened on January 28th, 2005 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland. Hildur Asegerisdottir Jonsson, a native of Iceland, portrays both the landscape of Iceland, and the landscape of the cosmos through her various works, from silk weavings to silk embroidery and ink drawings on vellum.
“Ice Breaking”, a silk weaving standing 40 by 68 inches, is a large detail of ice, as the title entails, composed of small interlocking colors and shades to create a piece that looks primarily to be composed of black and white. “Quasar and Companion Galaxy”, smaller in comparison (18 x 20 inches), is composed of black ink on vellum, drawn with intense complexity and minute details, giving the viewer an up-close look at the makings of the cosmos.
The subjects of Jonsson’s work seem out-of-place and unfamiliar to those that have only been exposed to the urban lifestyle, works that convey a sense of longing for nature and the outdoors not available in the trap of large cityscapes. The pieces seem cold and distant, unforgiving to those who have not taken the time to experience true nature, yet all at once inviting to those familiar with the territory.
At first glance, without knowing much about the artist, I did not contextualize the work effectively. After some thought and viewing, however, I came to see that in its current setting, Jonsson’s work presents an irony to the viewer: in this large city full of businesses and factories, the nine-to-five-plus-overtime lifestyle, and the dweller that often needs two jobs to provide sustenance, we often are too busy to remember that we live on this planet, and that a world outside of us exists. Her art conveys that this culture has a great need to slow down, if not for physical and psychological health, then for the health of the planet, where scenes such as the ones Jonsson depicts for us become smaller and smaller, sinking away in comparison to the growth of cities and their outpouring population increases.
E-mail this reporter at:
photozula@yahoo.com
SNAPSHOT REPORTER
Energy Forms, the first in the PULSE Series, opened on January 28th, 2005 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland. Hildur Asegerisdottir Jonsson, a native of Iceland, portrays both the landscape of Iceland, and the landscape of the cosmos through her various works, from silk weavings to silk embroidery and ink drawings on vellum.
“Ice Breaking”, a silk weaving standing 40 by 68 inches, is a large detail of ice, as the title entails, composed of small interlocking colors and shades to create a piece that looks primarily to be composed of black and white. “Quasar and Companion Galaxy”, smaller in comparison (18 x 20 inches), is composed of black ink on vellum, drawn with intense complexity and minute details, giving the viewer an up-close look at the makings of the cosmos.
The subjects of Jonsson’s work seem out-of-place and unfamiliar to those that have only been exposed to the urban lifestyle, works that convey a sense of longing for nature and the outdoors not available in the trap of large cityscapes. The pieces seem cold and distant, unforgiving to those who have not taken the time to experience true nature, yet all at once inviting to those familiar with the territory.
At first glance, without knowing much about the artist, I did not contextualize the work effectively. After some thought and viewing, however, I came to see that in its current setting, Jonsson’s work presents an irony to the viewer: in this large city full of businesses and factories, the nine-to-five-plus-overtime lifestyle, and the dweller that often needs two jobs to provide sustenance, we often are too busy to remember that we live on this planet, and that a world outside of us exists. Her art conveys that this culture has a great need to slow down, if not for physical and psychological health, then for the health of the planet, where scenes such as the ones Jonsson depicts for us become smaller and smaller, sinking away in comparison to the growth of cities and their outpouring population increases.
E-mail this reporter at:
photozula@yahoo.com