PRESENTATION: Georgia Russell-The Pattern of Surface
Georgia Russell’s work has always been constructed around notions of rhythm and repetition – in both gesture and form – through which the artist, plunging herself into the minutiae of cutout, brings out the potential energy of the material. In her new work, the time is that of nature but also that of painting. Having investigated the possibilities offered by the old photographs and books, Georgia Russell is now engaged in a reflection on color and abstraction.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Galerie Karsten Greve Archive
Georgia Russell’s new solo exhibition, “The Pattern of Surface” unveils a series of previously unseen works, through which the artist continues her exploration of the painted surface and its narrative potential. Using a scalpel as a paintbrush, Georgia Russell questions the very notion of surface, which she describes as a space of interrogation between the visible and the invisible. Her canvases invite the viewer to “look through”, playing on the tension between what is perceived and what is concealed. “My work is the result of accumulations of cut-outs. Repetition creates emptiness and matter. These repetitive marks create a three-dimensional surface and object.” explains the artist. A meticulous, surgical creative act, exploring the boundaries between destruction and creation. The exhibition brings together paintings created from layers of cut, superimposed and painted organza. This fine fabric at once light and rigid, reveals a rich, vibrant texture, where each stratum interacts with the others to evoke unsuspected depths. “I cut and slash the paper and play with gradations of shades, rhythmed by the motions of my incisions, through which light filters in,” Georgia Russell said of her work. By incising surfaces, she creates a mirage between reality and illusion. From minute, repetitive cuts, protean works are born, the abstraction of which calls upon the subconscious and flirts with the imagination. Georgia Russell’s surgically precise gestures require mastery and patience. “I change blades every five minutes, because any more and they are no longer efficient enough”. Recently, the artist introduced a new matter into her work: organza, a synthetic fabric made from silk, industrially dyed with a hypnotic iridescence, as resistant as it is fragile. The slashing effect of the scalpel on both layers of the translucent fabric pushes optical confusion to the extreme and amplifies the lightness and delicacy of her works. The boundary between solidity and void fades, leaving the eye to lose itself in the movement and light. With Georgia Russell, incising and cutting thus become creative, and not destructive, acts. In this configuration, the void makes the bright flashes of color essential to animating canvases perceptible, just as windows traversed by light project their colorful image, created through human skill. Inspired by nature and its incessant metamorphoses, the artist confronts reality and imbues her work with her most private thoughts on the changes of nature as it is rocked by human activity. In this exhibition, Georgia Russell demonstrates a new maturity in her approach. Her universe adapts to change while preserving wonder and poetry. The material becomes like a translucent veil whose iridescence plays infinitely with the light, evoking the elements, from the rustle of leaves in the air to the shimmer of water. In parallel, Georgia Russell presents her emblematic book- sculptures, story-bearing objects metamorphosed by her blade into humanoid masks or imaginary creatures. For the exhibition, the artist unveils a new technique, in keeping with her exploration of the surface: organza prints on canvas, using paint-impregnated fabric to create colorful imprints. The colors, pastel tones, deep blues or bright yellows that splash across Georgia Russell’s canvases contribute to the characteristic visual vibration of her work: “Color is a living material that, like water or wind, has a life of its own”, says the artist.
Photo: Georgia Russell, The Pattern of Surface, Installation view Galerie Karsten Greve, Paris, Courtesy the artist and Galerie Karsten Greve
Info: Galerie Karsten Greve, 5 rue Debelleyme, Paris, France, Duration: 18/1-5/4/2025, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-19:00, https://galerie-karsten-greve.com/
