September 5th - 28th, 2002
Irregular dots, small dots, and dome-like
dots, all represented in this exhibition, can be looked upon as characters
in an animated play. Since 1989, Ragna Berlin has explored variations
of this round organic form in her painting, photography, sculpture, and
installation. "I want my forms to feel human. I charged them with
energy, inner light and let them express human feelings. I am interested
in what I often feel is missing: playfulness, humor, and comfort/calm,
" says the artist in her recent statement
Art critic Patrick Amsellem refers to her painting:
"Berlin's paintings can be looked at from a strictly formal point of view, but the abstract compositions are also bearer of meaningful intimate communication. In their transcendental qualities the canvases recall a high modernist idiom, her own version of color field painting close to the mysterious sublime of Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko. But apart form the similarities on the level of the sublime, there is also a strong sense of humor in Berlin's paintings, allowing for suggestive interpretations."
The highlight of this fall 2002 exhibition is undoubtedly an intriguing new wall painting. On the corner walls of the gallery, Berlin directly depicts one large dot. Suffused with luminous colors and sensuous tactility, the three-dimensional dot emerges from the background, creating a vibrant optical zone around it. The viewer is expected to explore this atmosphere by actively interacting with the painting. Berlin's wall and room paintings of dots blur and redefine the space, and they have become her signature work.
Born in Stockholm, Ragna Berlin studied architecture at The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. After working as an architect for six years, Berlin went on to study fine art at The Royal Academy of Art. She has been exhibited in a numerous solo and group exhibitions in Sweden and the U.S. In New York, her work was previously shown at Lauren Wittel Gallery (1996) and received reviews by The New York Times and Art Forum, the Yoshii Gallery (1999), and the Consulate General of Sweden (2002). Berlin's work is also represented in public collections including Gothenburg Museum and The National Public Art Council of Sweden. Regna Berlin lives and works in downtown Manhattan, New York City.
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