 Mari Rantanen Andréhn-Schiptjenko has the pleasure of announcing a solo exhibition with new works by Mari Rantanen. Rantanen has created an installation of paintings on the walls and floor based upon the Fibonacci numbers. Leonardo Pisa Fibonacci (1170-1250) introduced the Hindu Arabic decimal system and the Arabic numbers in Europe and is regarded as one of the great mathematicians. His series of numbers, where each figure is the sum of the two preceding ones, thus 1,2,3,5 etc is the basis for the golden section and has been used widely by artist as different as Marilyn Manson and Mario Merz. The strategy to use mathematics as a way to search for absolute truth or universal divinity is not uncommon but Rantanen has also been inspired by mosaics, baroque churches and trips to Ravenna and Pompeii. The ambivalence of indoor and outdoor space acts as a metaphor for existential questions, the shift between an inner and outer reality, between fact and fiction, work and play. Rantanen's painting is characterised by the use of several panels. In the current installation the paintings consist of 1,2,3,5,8,13 and 21 panels respectively. The central floor-painting is thus in 34 parts. The references to classical and religious architecture as well as those to Scandinavian constructivism and the intense colouring make this installation into one that reflects Rantanen's artistic œuvre in its entirety. Mari Rantanen (born 1956 in Helsinki, Finland) has been a professor at the Royal University College of Arts 1996-2005. She has exhibited widely throughout Europe and the United States and her work is to be found in several private and public collections. Her most recent solo exhibition was at Millesgården 2005 (accompanying catalogue) and her next institutional exhibition will be at Helsinki Konsthall, April 2007. Exhibition: September 21 - October 21, 2006 Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 11am - 5pm, Sat noon - 5pm Andréhn-Schiptjenko Markvardsgatan 2 S-113 53 Stockholm Telephone +46 8 612 00 75 Fax +46 8 612 00 76 Email info@andrehn-schiptjenko.com www.andrehn-schiptjenko.com |
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