two close angles – 2020

two close angles. Solo exhibiton at Kunstnerforbundet, Oslo, 2020

22 oktober –  22 november 2020.

You can view a film of the exhibition here: https://vimeo.com/574137099

Press release:

Janine Magelssen works in a reduced but tactile idiom. She focuses in particular on the relationship between optical and tactile volumes, exploring the inherent properties of her materials, space, light, and volume to develop works that express abstract perception. In the exhibition space, her works find expression as site-specific statements that explore the borderland between drawing and object, as scattered sculptures created directly on the wall, or as structures that hang free in the space.

Using putty, gesso (chalk and glue), steel armatures, and painted colour fields, Magelssen creates constellations that evade linguistic interpretation. Instead, they activate spatial and physical experiences in a non-verbal state. Convex and concave lines and volumes alternate constantly between defining and confusing. Marginal shifts in colour tone and structure form the basis for experiences that are largely about physical presence.

The reduced means of expression and the desire to delve down to something fundamental suggest an affinity with minimalism. But unlike the minimalists, Magelssen does not try to steer us away from an aspect of corporeality in her work. In this respect, she acknowledges greater kinship with Kazimir Malevich, who used art to explore the spiritual and to connect with concepts of spirituality. These non-figurative works relate to the human body through the use of formats, dimensions, and surfaces that create points of physical contact with the viewer.

Key concepts such as perception, the extended moment, silence, and empty space all come to mind. These works do not refer to anything beyond themselves and make no attempt to go somewhere. Instead, they strive for emptiness while invoking a sense of closeness, of alert presence and belonging, independent of all categories.