Vija Celmins, Dunoon

About

This exhibition takes an in-depth look at the artist’s works on paper and her long-time interest in using imagery from the natural world.

Vija Celmins (b. Riga,1938) produces exquisitely intricate drawings and prints of nature based on photographs, including images found in books and magazines. Her highly executed artworks ‘redescribe’ the photograph, translating the image from one surface to another. She chooses subjects that lack a central point of reference, allowing her to explore the relationship between limitless space and the flat plane of the paper.

This exhibition includes unique graphite, charcoal and eraser drawings such as Untitled (Desert-Galaxy) 1974 and Web #1 1999, as well as prints which employ intaglio, lithographic and relief processes.

This year Dunoon Burgh Hall is commemorating the 150th anniversary of their impressive Victorian building, which was saved by the local community and restored into a cultural hub for the West of Scotland. Following a major refurbishment in 2017, the building relaunched with an inaugural exhibition of ARTIST ROOMS Andy Warhol. This Grade B listed building is now a venue for exhibitions, theatre, film and music.

Vija Celmins, Ocean Surface Woodcut 1992 1992. ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. © Vija Celmins.