ART SHAPE MAMMOTH
Iceland / Finland Exchange
Art Shape Mammoth was thrilled to host Mari Mathlin, from Finland!
Mari currently lives in Reykjavik, Iceland, and works at the Nordic Cultural House. Mari prepared an exhibition to bring to the United States in July of 2017, featuring fresh investigations into materials and methods she had been working with during the past year. Mari exhibited her work at Hair and Nails Gallery in Minneapolis, MN, and was hosted at The Future artist residency during her stay there.
After her opening reception in Minneapolis, Mari travelled to the UP of Michigan and participated as an artist-in-residence during the Visitor Center Artist Camp's Sustainable Practices Symposium, where she worked alongside US artists-in-residence, making handmade recycled paper, turning a wood bowl, and creating drawings of the camp's unique architecture. Mari also exhibited her artwork in an exhibition at the local High School in Ewen, MI, and presented a special lecture on Finnish and Icelandic art, sharing examples from art history and contemporary art in Finland and Iceland through the concepts of otherness and familiarity.
The public joined us for this presentation and exhibition at the Ewen-Trout Creek High School, which also included a potluck featuring Finnish and Scandinavian foods, and an ASM-sponsored raffle of a Finland-inspired weaving by local UP artist Patsy Daniels, to support the Ewen-Trout Creek School art program!
Original drawings of camp buildings created by Mari while at the Visitor Center Artist Camp.
Loaded, solo exhibition by Finnish artist Mari Mathlin
Opening Reception Thursday, July 27 6-8:30 pm
Exhibition runs July 27 to August 14, 2017
Hair and Nails Gallery
2222 ½ E. 35th St, Minneapolis, MN 55407
Open Saturdays 1-6 and by appointment
Hair and Nails Gallery is proud to present Loaded, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Finnish artist Mari Mathlin, from July 27 to August 14. Mari will be traveling from her home in Iceland to install the exhibition, give an artist talk, and attend the opening reception Thursday, July 27 6-8:30 pm. This is a collaborative endeavor between three creative organizations, to initiate an international artist exchange fostering cross-cultural and creative dialogue. Hair and Nails Gallery is hosting the exhibition and national arts nonprofit Art Shape Mammoth, a placeless organization, is curating and organizing the exchange. The Future, a new Minneapolis creative residency program, will host our visiting artist Mari Mathlin.
Mari’s exhibition will feature process-led work, informed by her materials. Her process allows the chain of events leading up to the finished installation to link each piece, through previously occurring and subsequent stages of development. Utilizing parchment paper, cellophane, tin foil, black paint, water and lighting, Mari’s installation explores interconnectivity, creating an environment that blurs the line between process and product, physically allowing the viewer inside of her working process. The title of the exhibition can be understood to contain a multitude of meanings, suggesting that each piece has been loaded with both conscious and unconsciously occurring stories and narratives by the artist as well as the audience.
HAIR and NAILS is a contemporary art gallery located in the Corcoran neighborhood of South Minneapolis, across from Chatterbox Pub. Owned and operated by Minneapolis-based artist/musician Ryan Fontaine and dancer/choreographer Kristin Van Loon, we are dedicated to exhibiting compelling and thought provoking visual art, along with a sprinkling of other media. Our hope is that Hair and Nails will play the evolving role of providing a space where new work, new ideas and new collaborations are sparked and are able to flourish.
The Future is a project and event space, artist market, Aquarian lab, artist residency, library, workshop and studio located in the Witch District of South Minneapolis.
This event has been organized by Art Shape Mammoth, a national nonprofit with a mission to connect artists with new communities.