It's Greener in Stockholm

I just got these wonderful images of the The Grass is Always Greener: Overseas, the exhibition my work is a part of now on view at Platina in Stockholm, Sweden. The show, curated by Platforma, Bella Neyman and Ruta Reifen in conjunction with Platina, includes 10 artists from the U.S. and 10 from Sweden. The Americans are Jamie Bennet, Lola Brooks, Robert Ebendorf, Arthur Hash, Matt Lambert, Tara Locklear, Seth Papac, Sondra Sherman, Lauren Tickle, and myself, while the Swedish artists include Tobias Alm, Peter De Wit, Jenny Edlund, Hanna Hedman, Catarina Hällzon, Li Liang, Agnieszka Knap, Annika Pettersson, Margareth Sandstrom, and Studio Jungfruhuset (Christer Jonsson/Lena Bergestad). The exhibition debuted at Schmuck in Munich, Germany in March and will be on view at Platina until April 25.

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Guest Star Friday #138…Adrian Paci

Last Gestures

April 1, 2014 was a really good day, one of those days that unfolds in the most natural, wonderful way. It did not start out that way, though. I was in Gothenburg, Sweden for my exhibition and feeling stressed. Jet-lag was taking its toll, I was struggling with a new piece for the opening, and I was trying to maneuver in an expensive city on very little money. I knew a good, long walk would make everything better so I left my hostel to find the place where the river meets the sea, marked by a suspension bridge and the contemporary art museum, Röda Sten konsthall. This is when things got so much better… The weather was beautiful and I saw many interesting things along the way. When I got to the museum I was delighted to discover it was free that day! I had a lovely talk with one of the staff members and then slowly moved my way through the museum, and things got even better. 

The main exhibition, "Of Lives and Tales," was a retrospective of Adrian Paci, an Albanian artist I had not heard of before. Paci's work includes installation, video, photography and painting and focuses on memory, loss, nostalgia and displacement. I was drawn to his work immediately and had powerful, emotional reactions to many of his works. I found "Last Gestures," in particular, to be very compelling. The piece is composed of four televisions that loop video images of movements and expressions made by a family as they spend a precious last moment together. There is no sound and your attention becomes focused on singular movements. The work is poetic and succinct and I cried as I sat alone in the dark. 

As I spent time with the other pieces in the exhibition I become increasingly excited to find an artist working with things I'm just beginning to discover my own interest in: the use of light and shadow, conveying complex narrative and emotion through simple visuals and the impact of using the human experience as a way to connect artist and viewer. 

Britma, 2009, color video still

Back Home #2, 2001, painting and photograph

Noise of Light, 2005 installation with 10 transformers, metal, crystal, bulbs

See more of my favorite Adrian Paci pieces on Pinterest.

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Only a Few More Days

detail of Island of 14,264 Days

"I Live Here Now" closes this Saturday. It's hard to believe, and I do feel a little bit sad; all that work, effort, emotion, and then it's over just like that! However, all that work, effort and emotion was worth it, every little bit of it. I am so happy with this work, the process and the exhibition. The ideas and pieces developed in this beautiful, natural way with both difficult challenges and rare moments of clarity. As a whole, it feels like my best work and it also feels like the beginning of something even better.

Necklace No. 3 from Alone/Together

Since 1882, Since 1976

If you live in the Gothenburg area, I hope you will visit Four to see the show. If you don't live there, I please visit one of the following links to view the entire body of work:

Website

Facebook

Flickr

Necklace No. 7 from I Can Only Stay Away for So Long

Lost and Found

"I Live Here Now" closes Saturday, May 3.

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Never Let Me Down

pocket watch detail

Growing up, my brother and I were close. We fought occasionally as siblings do, but got along really well and had a lot of fun together. We remain close today and I still admire him as my "big brother." "Never Let Me Down" is about our relationship and the many moments when we looked to each other for advice or to simply commiserate. It's also about how I admire him and how he has influenced my life over the years.

Never Let Me Down

When we were teens, Mark carried a pocket watch. It set him apart from everyone else and I admired this, although I may not have realized it at the time. "Never Let Me Down" includes a pocket watch, cufflinks, tie tack and handkerchief and the papers underneath list the song titles from mix tapes he had as a teen. I used to sneak these out of his room when he wasn't around and it was those tapes that changed my perspective on music.

cuff links detail

In addition to the objects you see here, I also recreated the mix tapes, song for song. I was talking to Mark on the phone months ago about the tapes and he told me then he still had them. After we said goodbye, he sent me images of them via text messages. I hadn't seen the song titles since I was 16 and it was pretty incredible to read them again. It also felt like reading pages from a book or like reading a poem. I put together the mixes shortly after and then listened to them in their entirety back to back. It was even more mind-blowing to here the songs again! Later I listened to them while carefully writing each title in Cursive handwriting on practice paper. If you would like to listen to these mixes, you can find them here and here on Spotify. 

handkerchief detail

tie tack detail

I posted lots of process pictures on Flickr. I have also added images for "Silently (I Saw a Robin Today,"  "Wayfinder" and "Forget Me Not," pieces I have written about here already. Please take a look.

Thanks for reading.

The Piece That Didn't Happen

I came to Gothenburg planning to create one final piece for my exhibition, a piece for the "Outerland" part of the show. The plan was to walk and observe and then respond so I did what I always do: I settled into my room and began walking. I observed and took photos, paying close attention to what was catching my interest. I noticed patterns in the things I was attracted to and I made note of the new things that gave me pause. I did a little writing and a tiny bit of drawing. I even bought materials…but then I couldn't finish, or rather, I couldn't start. I didn't have enough time or energy.

I forgot how hard jet lag is on me. The first few days I was exhausted and I had a hard time focusing and making decisions. When I started to feel more "normal" it was time to prepare the exhibition, finish my artist statement and put the final touches on my lecture for HDK. I did try to work with my materials, writing and sketches, but nothing happened. In the end, I made the difficult choice to not make the piece. I think if I had arrived in Gothenburg well-rested I could have done it in such a short period of time, but exhaustion really got in my way.

All in all, this was a good learning experience for me. I tend to think I can do anything and I also tend to forget about being human. Next time I will factor in jet lag and perhaps have a more realistic expectation. I'm ok with not making the piece, although at first I was disappointed. Then I thought about the show as it was and it felt so good…and I knew it was ok to not make one more thing.

I added a few final pictures of Gothenburg to Facebook or you can visit Flickr to see the entire collection.

Thanks for reading.

A Few Images

Here are some images of the installation and a few from the opening. I wish I had more pictures from the opening... I was pretty busy the whole night talking to people, which is of course wonderful, but it does mean there was no time for pictures. It was a such a great evening and when it was over I felt a little bit sad.

Thanks for everyone who came that night and for all the wonderful comments, questions and conversations!

 with Hervée Darmont, my dear friend and "Belgian sister"

she made a special trip for the exhibition

More images on Flickr.

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I Live Here Now…In Its Entirety

Since 1882, Since 1976

My solo exhibition, "I Live Here Now," opened on Friday. The opening reception was wonderful--there were lots of guests, I received many beautiful comments and had some very interesting conversations. The work looks wonderful in the space and the exhibition as a whole has a quiet, intimate feel in the gallery. I have published all of the images online on Facebook, my website and on Flickr for all of you to see now as well. I will continue to share details about the individual works and lots of process photos in the coming days.

Never Let Me Down

Departing Ship

We Walk on the Same Ground

I am With You, You are With Me

Alone/Together

Lost and Found

I Can Only Stay Away for So Long

Island of 14,264 Days

Thanks for reading.

I Live Here Now, Part 14: A Third Look

Silently (I Saw a Robin Today)

"Silently (I Saw a Robin Today)" is the first piece I made in the "Homeland" part of "I Live Here Now." It's about my mother and was created with her wedding dress, which she made back in the 70s. I got the idea for this piece while on one of my walks. It was mostly about using the dress as the material and it felt like a strong place to begin. My mother was happy to give me the dress which I hung in my studio for a few days just to look at. Then I got scared. I knew I had one chance to "get it right" and the pressure of that thought made me procrastinate. I decided to ease into it by deconstructing the dress. I thought maybe I could "warm-up" by taking it apart, getting to know the material as I worked. I also thought the process would remove some of the dress' preciousness and it would become less scary to work with. 

The process took several days with a long pause in between. I saved every thread as I worked and even crawled around on the floor to retrieve any bits that had fallen. As I worked I thought about my mother and how she felt while she made the dress. I also wondered how she came to choose the pattern and the fabric. These questions sparked an interesting conversation between us and I now know a little bit more about her past. Once I was done I arranged all the pieces on the floor in my studio and took pictures. I still wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but after a few more days I realized the piece was in the process, in the ritual of taking the dress apart and of unraveling a memory of part of her life. 

In the following days I focused on the lining of the dress. I had been thinking about making a big necklace that when coiled up would resemble a nest and I liked the idea of giving a presence to something that is usually unseen. I cut each pattern piece of the lining into strips and cut these into four pieces each. I cinched the pieces into bows and tied them around more thread. I later added four gold bows, a subtle reminder of ancient Greek wreaths and diadems, and completed the piece by tying a single knot in every string. 

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Materials and an Interview

I can't stop thinking about rope and last night I started feeling strongly about black rope... A few days ago I realized my "Island" piece falls in the "Outerland" part of the exhibition and not in the "Heartland," where I had pictured it before. Ever since I made it I have wanted to make a complementary piece in black. I always thought this piece would be a similar embroidered work only in black and gray, but now I wonder if this companion piece could be something else, a different object or some form of jewelry. This morning I went to a fishing store and bought 20 meters of black rope. I'm still not sure what I will do with it but I'm glad I have something I can move around with my hands. It's definitely time I start making something and I think this lovely black rope is a good place to begin.

Boel Ulfsdotter taking photos of the work during the interview

Also today I met Karin Roy Andersson, my gallerist, and we hosted a writer from the Gothenburg Post, Boel Ulfsdotter. She interviewed me for an article that will appear in the paper this weekend. She took a lot of time to just look and then asked me questions which lead to conversations. The work seemed to resonate with her and she did have an emotional response, which was thrilling. It was also really good for me to talk about the work out loud--every time I talk about it, my thoughts and language become more clear. In preparation for the interview, Karin and I decided to begin installing the work last night and will complete it tomorrow afternoon.

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Moving Forward

walking in Vrångö

Yesterday I went island hopping and visited four different islands in Gothenburg's southern archipelago. It couldn't have been a better day--beautiful sunny weather, low-key travel with no problems, peaceful ferry rides, long walks along tiny streets. I visited Brännö, Styrsö, Donsö and Vrångö, taking ferries between each except for Styrsö and Donsö. I walked across a bridge between these two, which I just loved. I ate my lunch of cheese, bread and apples in the graveyard of a church built in the 1790s, drank coffee in a small cafe where no one else was and sat on rocks while listening to the birds. I also collected a number of things I found lying on the ground and thought a lot about my work.

my collection from yesterday's island trip

Today I walked along the Göta älv to the Älvsborg Bridge which spans the river and also marks the area where the river meets the sea. This transitional point is a favorite phenomenon of mine. Just under the bridge is Röda Sten konsthall, a contemporary art museum where I saw a retrospective of Adrian Paci and a collaborative project by Merete Lassen and Mimmi Andersson. I also saw lots of graffiti as the exterior of the building is covered with it. Then inside I saw two works by one of my favorite artists, Swoon. It was a very inspiring trip and felt like one of those "right place, right time" moments.

Swoon

Adrian Paci, The Last Gestures

Merete Lassen and Mimmi Andersson, House of Opposites 

As I said yesterday, I am moving around thoughts of islands and connections, and after today's long walk and the work I saw at the museum, I add bridges and ending points. I'm thinking more about moments and about capturing them in the form of objects, as well as opposites… all concepts I've been using in my work for awhile. I'm thinking about rope, too…

rope on Brännö

Älvsborg Bridge 

Thanks for reading.