In Zen Buddhism, the concept of satori teaches us that the enlightened self transcends the moment by becoming the moment and that to empty onself in the process of becoming is indeed the only defining path to true awareness.

In this compelling solo exhibition at the GONorth gallery in Beacon, New York, Jaanika Peerna unveils a series of new works, titled “Traces of a Sweet Connect,” that include drawing, video and a multi-faceted wall relief that could aptly be defined by what Alexander Munroe says in The Third Mind, of Alan Watts concept of satori as ‘a view of reality as abundant void and perpetual process.’

Peerna’s work has always inhabited the realms of metaphysics, movement and process. Her earlier work established a strong foundation for process-based work that in her own words, ‘has no beginning or end, no top or bottom, no reference to the scale of it all.’ In earlier drawings, Peerna scratched and etched into the paper’s surface as if excavating or chasing an unknown sound revealing multiple layers of almost phantasmagorical imagery, and unraveling layers of meaning that required complete absorption by the viewer.

In this new body of work, the artist has revealed some of those layers of space from the past in amazingly clear and thoughtful language, reminding us perhaps of what the great Zen philosopher D.T. Suzuki called ‘the art of self forgetfulness.’

The exhibition’s title “Traces of a Sweet Connect,” draws us into the artist’s view of seeing the world as a never-ending complexity of microscopic particles that traverse and build upon each other in the space that surrounds us. As Gregory Slick, the curator of this show says, ‘an encounter with her work is by turns soothing and disruptive, reverie-inducing and troubling, reactions to be expected from work that, in an essential way, deals with change.’

Peerna works by immersing herself into her space, so that her physical space becomes the surface on which she works whether it be drawing or video, thereby transcending limitations of space and time. This exhibition shows her widening her appeal with the delicacy of language and technique and her use of Mylar serves both as a deliberate stylization of this new body of work by hanging the lines off the wall as it were, as well as a prioritizing of her self into the space she inhabits whether it be contiguous or separate.

Drawing that attempts to transcribe or articulate a space very often does so by considering the space itself; Peerna’s work engulfs the space into her own consciousness to see if there is any space in which to be immersed. As seen in the show’s title work “Traces of a Sweet Connect,” three large works on Mylar each measuring 120 x 91 cm, although they were not intended as a tryptych, they nevertheless appear as such because they share the same graphic urgency and impetus.

The centerpiece of the show is a large site-specific work titled, “Traces of Light,” made from Mylar that has been cut into thin strips and pinned to the wall at various points to transform the material into a three-dimensional wall relief. These translucent strips replace the two-dimensional lines on paper and become a new vehicle for the volumetric shaping of space, sometimes reconfiguring the very notion of space and perception. This work’s use of fading lights, each timed and projected in one-minute intervals from different angles that in their duration cast complicated shadow arrangements, make the work seem both ethereal and at the same time as complicated as an impossible ball of yarn. Yet it is in this changing complexity that the artist shifts our perceptual gaze, taking us around and through the maze, and as the shadows fade from one direction to the other, we resurface with a simplicity that is graceful and exhilarating.

In the small works from “The Living Line” series, we are given an intimate view of the artist’s hand, breath and movement, that operate at a slower pace than the larger ones yet they reveal the same absorption of energy and feeling with control that suggest geological or atmospheric conditions that the artist maybe influenced by.

For all of their seriousness, Peerna is also having fun with these works. She is dancing in the midst of the chatter, guided by total immersion in the energy flowing from the graphite or water-based wax pencil she is using. It is almost as if she using a gravimeter to gauge the sensitivity of the ground on which she is working. Whether she finds herself on the other side of the worm-hole or riding an endlessly stretched line of cosmic matter Peerna realizes that she is now articulating a new paradigm.

The one video work in the show, “Lines of Light”, reveal the artist’s belief that a line is as three-dimensional as it is uniform. From a simple shaft of light coming from a window, she seized upon its reflection as it hit a clear plastic folder and directed it to move and dance as an acrobat on stage, taking the shape of a stingray, a bird, or any host of alluring images. This work perhaps more than the drawings, provide a glimpse into the artist’s thinking that every point of light can provide a cosmic field of discovery.

This show is a graceful dance with space and perception, filling the void and the silence, and discovering new serendepities for lines that though perhaps ‘done in silence’ speak loudly to the microcosms of our inner spaces and of what lies within each of us.

Although GONorth is a small gallery and this should be technically a small show, it feels extremely large, for it covers so many parameters; there’s so much presence that each work feels like a walk pushed along by the spirit of a beautiful breeze.

Artist’s website: www.jaanikapeerna.net

June 2009, New York

At the University of Akureyri, Roni Horn’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roni_Horn large series of photographs “Some Thames,” (2000), on the subject of water, are spread throughout the corridors and offices as an inspiring reminder of the country’s eternal, nourishing element, asking us to keep seeing what is possible in the ocean’s sustaining grace and power. The series aptly reinforces the feeling that this country and city uses water both as a practical element as well as a metaphorical symbol of wealth and nourishment. The university has strongly endorsed this theme by focusing its attention and offering higher degrees in sustainable growth and has subsequently created a program in law and social sciences that offers degrees in Polar Law. The RES-School of Renewable Energy Science, is a recognized leader in its field and though an independent institute, is associated with the university, offering advanced degrees taught entirely in English.

Akureyri’s ‘sensibility’ therefore is a fusion of educated pursuits and cultured habits that have a stronger focus than the more laissez-faire attitude found in Reykjavjk. The city’s geographical location with an ice-free harbour on the inlet of a fjord surrounded by high mountains gives it a relatively warm climate that has proven a boon to its culture and economy, and it left me a little distressed that I didn’t spend more time here or wasn’t able to visit the world’s northernmost botanical gardens. I promised myself to return!

University of Akureyri

Roni Horn's "Some Thames"

"Some Thames"

Thin Jim & The Castaways

Akureyri harbour

But winter in these parts are dealt with in the same unfazed manner as the rest of the year, and its calculating effect only serves to muster one’s sense of practicality. Once over, our cameras quickly went from the ruddy ochre-green to white and the changing forms gave us new similes to ponder.