Space Odyssey

“It is nothing but a breath, the void...”

Rainer Maria Rilke

As scientific exploration reaches the limits of the detectable and comprehensible, so it too relies on the creativity and imagination of scientists and artists to push boundaries and interpret the Universe. With these thoughts in mind, the Danish artist Astrid Krogh reached out to one of America’s pioneering astrophysicists, Dr. Margaret Geller from the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with whom she initiated an ongoing correspondence on the patterns in the Universe. Opening fundamentally new perspectives, this encounter has given birth to a series of new works, which will be presented in the exhibition Astrid Krogh - Space Odyssey at Galerie Maria Wettergren in Paris, from 12 February through 16 April 2022.

The Universe is flooded with patterns, from the smallest particles to intergalactic structures, infinite in numbers and in constant change, chaotic and organized at one and the same time. Krogh, who has always been fascinated by the force of patterns, approaches these empirically but tenderly, using light as her main source, both natural daylight and artificial light, which she organizes in different patterns, mixing random and order. By exploring a large specter of materials and techniques, including organic seaweed, gold leaf, fiber optics, mirror foil and photographic cyanotypes, Krogh thrives to reveal, in an almost alchemist way, the deep poetic feeling and grace of the Universe through the metamorphosis of these materials. This interdisciplinary approach is highly characteristic of Krogh’s vocabulary, who since the end of the 1990s, has continually combined different disciplines and materials in the fields of textile and light art. Concurrently, it echoes an ever-growing tendency among contemporary artists and designers today, opening up for new fields of interference between art and science.

Born in 1968, lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark

After graduating in 1997 from the textile faculty at The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, Astrid Krogh established her own studio the following year, where she started using optical fibers to create woven textiles, thereby weaving with light itself. As colored light is transmitted through the fibers, the textiles change appearance and transform the spaces around them. Krogh’s point of departure from conventional textile design was not merely her fascination for light, but also her attraction to shape-morphing objects and shifting colorways. “I use light as both a material and a technology”, Krogh explains. “The presence of light is an essential component of my work. Light enables my textiles to pulsate, change patterns and create an entire spectrum of ever-changing colorways”.

Few artists speak this refined language as fluently as Astrid Krogh, who uses light to describe aspects of nature that words simply cannot. The lingua franca in Krogh’s world describes the feelings evoked by the beauty of the dawn, and the emotions stirred when the sunset streaks extraordinary colors across the sky. Her vocabulary is nuanced by sensory experiences, which are articulated through a lexicon of color and light. Krogh’s vernacular encompasses the ripples that cause sunlight to sparkle on the surface of a lake, and the surging, blue tinted waves that change color as they break on the shore.

Space Odyssey: Astrid Krogh

Installation shots

About the artist

Exhibition Catalogue

Space Odyssey

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