Johanna Unzueta

Johanna Unzueta makes large compositions in which she uses her whole body. Without
a ruler, but with embroidery hoops, plates and other circular objects from her home, she makes circles and ellipses, using her forearms, hands and fingers to measure distances. Like a mathematical diagram, she makes geometric shapes on paper in which she tries to grasp the relationship of herself to her environment and the people around her. The titles of the works refer to the time invested in their production and are also a reference to the cyclical passage of time and seasons.

Collecting plants from her environment, Unzueta makes natural pigments to color
the drawings on paper, wood or fabric, which she often perforates with small holes or embroiders with thread. She sometimes works for months on a piece, patiently waiting for the paint to dry and in complete surrender to the natural pace of the materials. The physicality and scale of her work is reminiscent of the working method of Hilma af Klint, who had to stand and sit on her life-sized works in order to make them. Unzueta works in the same cyclical way, with time being an inherent part of her practice.

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Cycle, Portal, Path

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This fall, Nest presents Cycle, Portal, Path: an exhibition that examines how the traces left by the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) affect contemporary art 100 years later. Af Klint lived in a time full of developments and scientific turmoil. Scientists studied nature and dealt with phenomena such as atomic fission and X-rays; discoveries that shaped the world and made the invisible visible.

Cycle, Portal, Path shows that Af Klint’s exploration of the relationship between science, nature and spiritual life is as urgent now as it was in her time. The artists in the exhibition relate directly or indirectly to Af Klint and her views and supplement them with contemporary or futuristic ideas. Through meditative drawings and video installations, abstract paintings and AI-generated images, the artists reflect on new technologies, spiritual movements, ecology and the connection between then, now and future generations.

Cycle, Portal, Path was created in conversation with Kunstmuseum Den Haag and KM21, where the exhibitions Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondriaan: Forms of Life and Tai Shani – Our Hieromantic Objects of Love will be on view simultaneously. A diverse context program has been developed for the three exhibitions. Keep an eye on our website for updates.

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