MAMMA ANDERSSON IN NEW YORK

right after its opening night, i had friday off and used it all to visit the mamma andersson exhibit at david zwirner galleries in chelsea. the exhibition - as expected - was exceptional and quite well put together. i decided to share with you today, the parts and details which captured my mind and eyes.

mamma andersson is a woman contemporary artist who should be on your radar if she isn't already. her works are marvelous stories on panels, executed with paint and amazing textures. the ones exhibited are enough to make you feel, as soon as you enter the gallery space, that you are entering a room with windows to an alternate dimension.

{detail, "hangman", mamma andersson 2014, at david zwirner} walking into the exhibition rooms was a bit like walking into a fairy tale, or a dream. each painting seemed to tell a story - one that was paused at a point leaving you to wonder about the before and after.

{"ceremony", mamma andersson 2014, at david zwirner} the exhibition is split between the two spaces the gallery has in chelsea. the sequence that i picked to see them left the installation room for last. in the first space, i was particularly captured by the materials andersson used, and mostly how she implemented wood into the works. considering the history of wooden materials in sweden and northern europe in general as well as in regards to industrial design, my mind instantly started wondering down paths of symbolism. aside from that however, i found it simply captivating how the paint and stains were used specifically with the wood panels to create the various shades and textures the artist desired. a simple example is in the detail below. the paint was used differently against the wood to create the dancer's outfit (the textile), than on her arms and hands. in fact, the skin at first glance looks almost entirely natural - almost like a photograph.

{detail, "ceremony", mamma anderssn 2014, at david zwirner} i have often mentioned how what i think gives a work of art an extra quality, is its ability to puzzle the viewer, and invoke thought. if a piece makes you think, wonder, contemplate and more importantly, try to read into it, and through it read the artist's mind. one painting i couldn't divert my attention from
{click for the rest of the exhibit and installation}

was "deadheads" (detail below).

{detail, "deadheads", mamma andersson 2014, at david zwirner} "deadheads", a still life, gives a sense of pause. it was as though looking into a room that you caught at a particular moment right before something was going to happen, or maybe even, as though something had already occurred and you just missed it. it was like a story you didn't here the most important part of. to top it off, i noticed a faint carving on the painting's wood panel of sitting chairs. these carvings all of a sudden created an additional space within the already obvious space of the table and busts. its surface became the floor of a room. knowing before hand that mamma andersson is known for her portrayal of beautiful architectural (interior) scenes, that fluctuate between still lifes and a painted photographic moment, this had a pleasantly puzzling effect.

{detail, "lore", mamma andersson 2014, at david zwirner} finally, another piece that i could really not stop gazing at was "lore". it pictured what seemed to be a stack of magazines and/ or books. it was the use of color, material and texture again that was so captivating, not to mention the way it emitted a sense of space. but to get to what you may have already actually been waiting for...last came the giant murals.

{mamma andersson murals at david zwirner new york, 2015 exhibition} it was magical. it was her work in enormous scale. the instant you walk in there is no escaping the feeling that you are fully encompassed by it; you almost feel as an intruder.


{1} see the gallery's exhibition page
{2} see the works on display at david zwirner here
{3} read more about mamma andersson on "the paris review"
{4} and even more on "frieze magazine"