Clare Woods at the Norrtälje konsthall, Sweden
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Clare Woods’ is opening her first institutional solo exhibition in Sweden at Norrtälje konsthall in Norrtälje.
Titled Between Before and After, the exhibition features eighteen paintings created between 2016 and 2023.
The title of the exhibition Between Before and After suggests being somewhere or sometime that exists in the space between before and after, which could be now. Occupying this in-between space lies our history, which shapes how we perceive the present and the future. The philosopher Aurelius Augustinus (354-430) defined time in a similar way: the present of the past, the present of the now, and the present of the future. Time, as a human phenomenon, is one of the most enigmatic forms of human experience and is a theme present in much of Woods’ work.
Quoting from the press release of the konsthall: "In Clare Woods paintings there exists a field of tension between reality and abstraction, where Woods captures moments imbued with existential and psychological charge. Through cut flowers, the human figure and vanitas symbols, Woods explores and reflects on themes such as transience, the fleeting nature of time and the fragility of human life. The exhibition also serves as a diary"
Norrtälje konsthall
15 June – 21 September 2024
Galles gränd 7, Norrtälje, Sweden