Monies arranges ceramic jugs, jars, stoppered vases, and pots before us, making them functional – intentionally narrowing the gap between artistic expression and practical design thinking. Each a unique piece, varying in color, shape, and size, these glazed stoneware pieces carry the potency of vessels for containment. In this manner, the artist draws parallels between internal and external biological processes and structures.Īmongst the aura of unbounded energy in Melinda Braathen's paintings, the ceramic works of Karl Monies can be found. The intensity of tonality and contrast between deep reds and bright yellows give inklings of biological structures and vital functions, even internal organs or cellular processes - drawing from the notion that, further than biophilia, the natural world, which humans are a part of, is deeply interconnected. This abstract depiction of a spring, a course of water, and underwater plant and animal life is, in fact, an abundance of organic matter. Some of Braathen's paintings suggest other life processes, as in the case of Body of Water (2022), a painting that almost seems to be breathing. These different states increase each other's vigor through pure connection and enable access to a heightened sense of being. Quite the contrary, Braathen allows different states of perception to intermingle. This vision explores our body's sensory input, which the artist does not present as contrary to the senses we tend to perceive as more objective, such as sight. In Light Builds (2023), for example, through the tonal omnipresence of red, the artist manifests the state our body may be in after a long walk across a dry landscape on a sunny day – pulsating with heat, warm and vascular. We find the need to represent different planes of existence and states of mind through color in the artist’s other works. And yet it is in the choice of color that Braathen delivers the most decisive impact, transforming the otherwise calm woodland setting depicting the life cycle into an emotionally compelling scene depicting a growing uncertainty. The tree dominates the composition, breaking it up diagonally. Suggesting an unknown danger just outside the line of vision, an unknown threat, the artist doubles down on this feeling through the introduction of the fallen tree motif. Thus the woods in Soundscaper(2023) becomes ominous through the subtle tonal shift from purple to red. It is the emotional aspects of perception that are at play here. The use of color likewise denotes that Braathen’s landscapes may well be renditions of the mind more so than those of the eye. It's as if, for Braathen, the human form and psyche are embodied through water masses. ![]() The artist gives water, a symbol of life and nature's energy, notably human-like qualities of character and autonomy. Many of Braathen's works feature water currents and powerful streams. Thus, the planes of vibrant, bold color and brushstrokes spill across the canvas, partly framed by a few stable structures that cannot hold this energy in place. ![]() These features melt and meld, contrasted by opaquely painted surfaces that add stability, duetting more closely with representation. ![]() The choices Braathen makes regarding her technique significantly impact our perception - small brush strokes suggest impermanence and a swift, syrupy quality of ever-changing states represented through them. Through layering perspectives, Braathen weaves different interpretations of the world into her works, imbuing them with varying meanings. Often starting with a specific reference from the real world, the works pass through several stages of interpretation that filter through different worlds of perception of reality: the sensory, the emotional, and the intellectual this process invariably results in the abstraction of the original motif. This new body of work incorporates several larger-scale and smaller-format paintings rendered in the artist’s recognizable mode of expression. The landscape paintings of Melinda Braathen toe the line of abstraction and figuration, emerging from the artist's quest to reflect on her experiences and observations of the external and internal world. "Charged Bodies" incorporates a reference to both artists' practices: the electrifying quality of Braathen's paintings which pulsate with energy, representing abstracted visions of nature, people, and other forms, and on the other hand: the arcane vessels of Karl Monies, embodying the potency of preserving, of housing precious matter within, or keeping it from coming out. Join us for the opening of the exhibition on Thursday, April 20th from 18.00 until 20.00. Golsa is delighted to present a duo exhibition showcasing the paintings of the Norwegian-American artist Melinda Braathen and the ceramic vessels of Danish artist Karl Monies.
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