CLEVELAND, OH.- The Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland presents a season of stunning work in the solo exhibition PULSE: Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson: Energy Forms on view through May 1, 2005. Interested in geophysical activities on Earth and astral phenomena in space, Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson creates silk weavings, intricate embroideries and ink drawings that convey the powerful energy of the natural world. Originally from Iceland, Jónsson references the glacial formations and expanses of sea and sky of her native landscape and explores cosmic activity.
For the large-scale weavings in Energy Forms, Jónsson’s process begins with the unique translation of a photograph into a loose abstract sketch known as a cartoon. She places this image beneath sets of separately strung warp and weft threads and subsequently paints each surface with fabric dye and then weaves her artwork. This weaving method integrates the two individually painted components into one painstakingly coordinated image. Jónsson also creates meticulous embroideries and ink drawings on vellum. These more intimately scaled works create a visual paradox by representing the vast and tumultuous chaos of her subject matter through labor-intensive compositions.
Assistant Curator Ana Vejzovic writes, “Geological forces such as subtle tectonic movements or more combustible, powerful phenomena, like earthquakes, are a constant in our world. In Energy Forms, Jónsson calls attention to the physicality of the Earth, to the inherent power and energy of the universe and our relationship to them.”
The first weaver to be shown in the PULSE series, Jónsson has lived in Ohio for the last 20 years. She studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art and received a BFA and MFA from Kent State University. Jónsson’s drawing and weavings have been shown in Spain, France and Iceland and have been exhibited extensively throughout Ohio. Most recently, the Ohio Arts Council commissioned Jónsson to design the Governor’s Annual Awards in the Arts and her embroideries were presented to winners of the 2004 awards.
Begun in 1998, PULSE has featured new bodies of work by Northeast Ohio artists, both emerging and established. The PULSE Series was so named to reflect the MOCA’s interest in “keeping its finger on the pulse” of current trends in the regional art scene. Past PULSE Artists include Dexter Davis (1998), Eric Rippert (1998-99), Douglas Lucak/Laurence Channing (1999), John Pearson (2000), Bellamy Prince (2000), Heather White (2001), Eve Thomson (2001), Royden Watson (2002), Julie Langsam (2002) and Martin Ball (2003).
