We are all in it together: Siri Kollandsrud

 “We are all in it together”Siri Kollandsrud Solo Exhibition

Exhibition

“I meditate on what it means to be human. Who are we? Living on this fantastic planet, we connect with nature with our marvelous and complicated systems, space, conflicts, and love. Growing up in the country where wildness and natural beauty cannot be extricated from life, I fall in love with the silence where I could experience a glimpse of the inner pulse of life and every interrelation. I think, we are also part of nature.”

                                                                                                                                                                               By Siri Kollandsrud

Northern European artist Siri Kollandsrud was born in 1963 in Norway, and she is currently based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Through studying Art History and Philosophy, Kollandsrud presents her subconscious fantasy lyrically and poetically, and this kind of boundless vision makes her works filled with unique energy and rhythm. Her style, use of colors, and logic of creation respond to Cobra art movement in the 1940s and 1950s. Artists from the Cobra Group explore the expression of emotions in an abstract way where there are no conscious thoughts, and they use mediums flexibly as the technique of Automatism. Within it, Kollandsrud’s curiosity towards colors and strokes makes her viewers navigate the uncertain balance, and meanwhile experience comfortably the wonderment of her works on every color block and stroke.

 Kollandsrud described her creative process, “The canvas can be like a playground, where I put out different elements and opposite movements and somehow try organizing this, searching for a stage or room where it feels set, balanced or at a certain point or edge…” Siri doesn’t have beforehand thoughts or plans. After dropping her first stroke, what leads her is endless inspiration. The rule is no rule, and art originates from ever-changing life. Every moment on the painting board is suffused with changes. Through various layers and strokes, there is no thread of thought to investigate the starting point, and there is no method to predict the ending point.

In Lay Lady Lazy, a heavy-eyed woman is resting in the painting. Dream overlaps with reality, and warm colors emanate feminine tenderness. Deep green leaves are like her long hair cascading down around the figure. When taking a closer look at her work, viewers can find that the whole piece is finished with fluent strokes without second thoughts. In another work Wind Borne, it brings visual vitality, as wind disperses seeds afar. Amorphous and shaped scenery are entailed in the background. Mountains, rivers, seas, cliffs, roads, and residences collide for different angles and curves, which makes visual perception unlatched. Standing in front of the painting, viewers can feel the gentle touch of a breeze.

Kollandsrud wonders what her work can present. Art making is an open and primarily intuitive process. She does not have a definite plan before working. The painting evolves through the process; starts a dialogue between materials and other things. Everything can inspire her works including dreams, religion, nature, daily life, and occasions. She seldom draws or points to a specific story or thing. It is more abstract, maybe something universal or even intimate, yet it depends on how viewers associate her works with. In Left Top Black, Kollandsrud displays improvisations as the epitome of Art Informel. There is no preconceived topic and structure. She wavers between edges, corners, and curves with layers of contrasting colors, which deepens the seemingly flat surface of the canvas.

 The exhibition includes several pieces of Kollandsrud’s works from the past years, and it unveils her world that dream overlays with reality. Following her train of thought and imitating her experimental rhythm, viewers commence with a journey without end. As Kollandsrud’s works are open to interpretation, viewers can associate her perceptual space with intuition and subjectivity. She describes her way of art making, “The inception of my painting direction and form is from my ongoing experience. It is not the result that I planned or intended. I try to face my canvas open-mindedly, and let things happen through working. The painting is taking on a life of its own. And, I always keep my curiosity and imagination about how oil paint will evolve itself.”