Yi Gallery is pleased to present Looking North, a three-person exhibition bringing together the work of Karian Amaya, Margrethe Aanestad and Shane Charles. An opening reception, with all three artists in attendance, will take place on Saturday, March 18, from 3 to 6 pm.

United by a process of abstraction and poetics, this group of work cherishes a look of open-endedness in composition, manifested through the textured surfaces and torn-looking raw edges–an absorbing dance of eventual humility. Wrapped in a fundamental simplicity, with the hugeness surrounding a circular motif, the sculptures, installation and canvases reflect an ascending energy. The three artists trace their artistic and personal roots back to the northern parts of their countries, or the hemisphere, geographically spanning Scandinavia, Northeast America and Mexico. Through utilizing raw, sourced, natural and industrial materials, the artists engage in themes of artifact, deterioration of landscape, generational divide, presence and continuity. Seen in its totality, the exhibition invites a renewed thinking of the “body in the landscape”, as well as the responsibility and representation within our personal and collective history in relation to the changing climate.

Supported by City of Stavanger.

Photo: Adam Reich

In her work, Margrethe Aanestad aims to carry through a nerve–a personal and visceral presence– that allows the viewer an immediate entry into a space of deep contemplation: steadiness, silence and chaos. “It’s about eliciting a sensation that opens up for presence.” Through a ritualistic and meditative approach, Aanestad creates abstract drawings and paintings with the external expression of an inner attentiveness, plumbing the depths of herself and the shared human condition. Her rigorous and spare compositions vary from large scale pastel drawings to improvisational brush strokes on raw canvases. Often subtly referencing the landscape and celestial sphere, her work remains wholly non-representational, transcending physical realms while inviting perceptual encounters.

A circular shape reappears in several series in recent years. These seemingly precise circles in her work are achieved solely by hand. To Aanestad, the fundamentally basic circular motif serves both as an intense study of form and a compelling and universal symbol, suggesting unity, wholeness and infinity.