In my exhibition Systema Tinctura, at Galleria Huuto, process-like works are on display. The first step has been preparing the color pigments and the adhesives of natural materials.
For ‘Wine Black’, from the series ‘Spring’, I have prepared the black pigments from olive tree branches and grapevine from Tuscany. These shades of black, charred by the camp-fire, have been used for the grids of the work, too. The pigments in ‘The Meadow of Colors’, also from the series ‘Spring’, originate from the plants portrayed in the work itself. They can also be found as a straight formation on the top of the work. The series ‘Spring’ refers to the famous work by Sandro Botticelli by presenting, against its dusky background, plants of our time and their color tones. I don’t know which plants have disappeared from Tuscany since the early Renaissance. In my works, I wonder which plants and color pigments remain in the views we are used to.
In ‘The Eye of Beauty’, a video work, the petals of a flower change from yellow to shades of red which illustrates the process during which the red pigment is extracted.
I want to thank the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Varsinais-Suomi arts committee, and the Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation for support.
Additional info: Katja Syrjä, tel. +358 400 448 049
katjamarika(at)luukku.com
