1. hobbies and interests
2. needlework

A JOURNAL OF ARTS+CULTURE
angle
Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jonsson
�SAUL OSTROW ON SOL LEWITT �ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH
�SPACES �BETH WOLFE �SHIMON ATTIE
�MUSIC: FAUST, CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA �FILM: SIDEWAYS
Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson
18
Angle magazine issue 18 – cover
distancesAs
from
eye to
camera
and paint
to hand.
Jonssontoworks
about
the distances
from eye to camera andabout
paintthe
to hand.
Jonsson
works
smaller,
her subject
matterAs
expands
in- smaller, her subject matter expands to inWalking
through
theinto
squalls
of winter,
I squint
grisaille
with
Walking through the squalls
of winter,
I squint
the day’s
grisaille
withinto the day’s
They’re
all these
things
at once, and
about
the mystefinity.are
Her
pot-holder size embroideries at MOCA are studies
They’re about all these things at once, and about
theabout
mystefinity.
Her pot-holder
size
embroideries
at MOCA
studies
hat at eye
and scarf
half-way
up mya nose:
becomes
a cold itself.
a hat at eye level and scarfahalf-way
uplevel
my nose:
the world
becomes
cold the worldrious
rious nature of perception
itself.cosmic formations and events.
of nebulae,
cosmic formations and events. Core of the
Core of the
nature of perception
of nebulae,
or maybe aGalaxy
cross looks like a purple pretzel, or maybe a cross
Whirlpool Galaxy looks like a purple pretzel, Whirlpool
stripe
embroidered
with long
linesÁsgeirsdóttir
of falling sleet.
Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir
stripe embroidered with long
lines
of falling sleet.
Hildur
Breaking
is easilythough,
recognizable
as a desection
of a walnut, though, like many of her ink drawings
Jonsson’sas
tapestry
Jonsson’s tapestry Ice Breaking is easily recognizable
a de- Ice
section
of a walnut,
like many
of her
ink drawings
Jonsson’s
tapestries
arelandscapes
like that. Inspired
by the landscapes
of her native
Jonsson’s tapestries are like
that. Inspired
by the
of her native
piction
of that
natural
yet it also
recalls
Brice earlier
also on
display at MOCA, echoes Jonsson’s earlier renditions
piction of that natural phenomenon, yet it also
recalls
Brice
alsophenomenon,
on display at MOCA,
echoes
Jonsson’s
renditions
Iceland,
they and
seemgeothermal
full of frozen
winds and
currents,
like hot
Iceland, they seem full of frozen
winds
currents,
like geothermal
hot
Marden’s
intersecting
loops
of paint
and&ink.
A tangleGalaxy
of ofisbrain
scans.
Quasar
Companion
like the
oozeQuasar & Companion Galaxy is like the ooze
Marden’s intersecting
loops of paint and ink.
A tangle
of of brain
scans.
of a lava lamp or
sometimes jagged, sometimes gently curving
of a lava lamp or
sometimes jagged, sometimes gently curving
tremors
of geological
meeting
trembling, frost-bitten
hands.
tremors of geological activity
meeting
trembling,activity
frost-bitten
hands.
EARTH,
EARTH,
WINDWIND
+FIRE
+FIRE
lines curls across Jonsson’s horizontal space.
lines curls across Jonsson’s horizontal space.
Two movements, composed of darker and
Two movements, composed of darker and
lighter lines, create illusions of light and
lighter lines, create illusions of light and
shadow, surface and depth. Jazz-like riffs, repshadow, surface and depth. Jazz-like riffs, repetitions, quotations and sudden dissonances
etitions, quotations and sudden dissonances
make the eye dance between surface and submake the eye dance between surface and subject, as with Marden and many contemporary
ject, as with Marden and many contemporary
visual artists.
visual artists.
an illustration of
a cell replicating
itself. Supernova
is a circular, spiral
structure,
like a maze or a
mandala.
an illustration of
a cell replicating
itself. Supernova
is a circular, spiral
structure,
like a maze or a
mandala.
Steeped in the
Steeped in the
flamboyant intriJonsson paints her images on silk yarn prior
flamboyant intriJonsson paints her images on silk yarn prior
cacy of Chinese
to weaving. The weaving then pixilates the
cacy of Chinese
to weaving. The weaving then pixilates the
e m b r o i d e r y,
image, so to speak, structuring the informale m b r o i d e r y,
image, so to speak, structuring the informalthese
small
ity of painting or staining via the grid of the
these
small
ity of painting or staining via the grid of the
By Douglas Max Utterloom. As in printmaking, where the weight of
By Douglas Max Utter
pieces have a deloom. As in printmaking, where the weight of
pieces have a delightful quasithe press leads gesture toward a graver perlightful quasithe press leads gesture toward a graver pera late
in Western
art, is like
a screen
or ture,
andwith
the epic
Landscape, a late subject in Western art, isLandscape,
like a screen
or subject
ture, and
the epic abstract
geology
of Clyfford
Still,
its abstract geology of Clyfford Still, with its
comic flair. It’s
manence, and toward reproduction, Jonsson’s
comic flair. It’s
manence, and toward reproduction, Jonsson’s
viewed
from just
beyond
footlights,
a place
midway Native
roots in
the bold textiles of Southwestern Native American
stage viewed from just beyond the footlights,stage
a place
midway
roots
in thethe
bold
textiles of
Southwestern
American
hard to say what
loom proclaims a deeper order.
hard to say what
loom proclaims a deeper order.
between
quarks
God. It stands
in or
formurmur
the bodyabout
itself,space
for and
cultures.
Alland
shout or murmur about space and freedom, and
between quarks and God. It stands in for the
body itself,
for and
cultures.
All shout
freedom,
makes embroimakes embroius and
thememmatrix of
our
perceptual
us and the matrix of our perceptual apparatus
where
the
abyss
of time. apparatus where mem- the abyss of time.
dered quasars
Perhaps even more striking and certainly
dered quasars
Perhaps even more striking and certainly
ory knots time and detail together.
ory knots time and detail together.
Clouds
. Dark
grey
jetsam
floats
Then
again, how could they not be? A sense of gay
more
abstract
is thefunny.
tapestry
jetsam
floats
Then
again,
how
could
they
not be?funny.
A sense
of gay
more abstract is the tapestry Clouds. Dark grey
Jonsson painter
cites the sparely poetic Icelandic landscape painter
Jonsson cites the sparely poetic Icelandic landscape
toward the
upper left
corner,and
inscribed
in Jonsson’sruns
creamy
freedom
and light-heartedness
runs through the whole setoward the upper left corner, inscribed in Jonsson’s
creamy
freedom
light-heartedness
through
the whole
seBut—
it is
the immanence
the larger-than-self
— a sense of
Georg
as one of her influences, along with Gerhard
But it is the immanence of the larger-than-self
a sense
of GeorgofGudni
as one of her influences,
along
withGudni
Gerhard
warp.
Configured
a decaying
these irregular
ries. It’s between
partly the bright colors, partly the contrast between
silk warp. Configured in a decaying cluster,silk
these
irregular
ries.inIt’s
partly thecluster,
bright colors,
partly the contrast
the
closeness so,
of the Richter.
divine —Richter’s
that makes
some landscapes so, realist
Richter.
Richter’s conceptually-grounded realist paintings
the closeness of the divine — that makes some
landscapes
conceptually-grounded
paintings
at a an
former
meaning,
as if they
had once formed
an and
thethe
softroughly
delicacy of embroidery thread and the roughly
blots hint at a former meaning, as if they hadblots
oncehint
formed
the
soft delicacy
of embroidery
thread
For whatever
reasons,
emotionalseemingly
scale of digital
well, sublime
seem clearly
related to Jonsson’s seemingly digital renditions
scale. of
well, sublime. For whatever reasons, the emotional
seem clearly
relatedthe
to Jonsson’s
renditions
ideogram.
At the
right
hovers
a much
ellipse
of woven
fabrics
onto which the thread is stitched. Then there’s
ideogram. At the upper right hovers a much smaller
ellipse
of upper
woven
fabrics
onto
whichsmaller
the thread
is stitched.
Then
there’s
landscapeidyllic
has no limits.
There
are
Claude
idyllicfrom
of the
place.
In his
black and white paintings from the 1960s, the
landscape has no limits. There are Claude Lorrain’s
of place.
In his
black
and Lorrain’s
white paintings
1960s,
the
dim
marks,
like a distant
flock of gulls.
Fuzzier, bulkier
shapes
outrageous
dim marks, like a distant flock of gulls. Fuzzier,
bulkier
shapes
the outrageous
cosmic-ness
of the
subjectthe
matter,
which cosmic-ness of the subject matter, which
vistasFriedrich’s
and the tempests
of Turner,
Caspar
Davidnor
Friedrich’s
real
subject is neither person nor event, nor the photographic
vistas and the tempests of Turner, Caspar David
real subject
is neither
person
event, nor the
photographic
land masses,
the
picture
makes of
one
stop and think about the whole business of graven
obtrude like land masses, poking diagonallyobtrude
into thelike
picture
makes poking
one stopdiagonally
and think into
about
the
whole business
graven
melancholy
of solemn
promises
hiddenresemble.
in na- They’re
sources not
those
paintings so closely resemble. They’re not even
melancholy piety, speaking of solemn promises
hidden inpiety,
na- speaking
sources those
paintings
so closely
even
plane from the
plane from the
images. It requires no more effrontery toimages. It requires no more effrontery to
bottom edge.
bottom edge.
stitch a galaxy than to paint a god — but nostitch a galaxy than to paint a god — but no
less, either. In the end, all of our efforts toless, either. In the end, all of our efforts to
Again Richter
Again Richter
render the universe in paint or yarn, wordsrender the universe in paint or yarn, words
comes to mind, in
comes to mind, in
or numbers are absurd. They’re also won-or numbers are absurd. They’re also wonthis case due to
this case due to
derful, if description is simply an imagina-derful, if description is simply an imaginathe boldness and
tive stab at a new way of being.
the boldness and
tive stab at a new way of being.
oddness of the
oddness of the
PULSE SERIES:
PULSE SERIES:
artist’s choices.
artist’s choices.
HILDUR ÁSGEIRSDÓTTIR JONSSON: ENERGY-FORMS
HILDUR ÁSGEIRSDÓTTIR JONSSON: ENERGY-FORMS
There is nothing
There is nothing
MOCA Cleveland
MOCA Cleveland
8501 Carnegie Avenue
picturesque here,
8501 Carnegie Avenue
picturesque here,
216.421.8671
216.421.8671
of course, or in
of course, or in
www.contemporaryart.org
www.contemporaryart.org
any of Jonsson’s
any of Jonsson’s
January 28 – May 1
January 28 – May 1
depictions. Nothdepictions. Nothing, in fact, is recing, in fact, is recognizable. It is
ognizable. It is
QUASAR RADIO MAP, 2003
QUASAR RADIO MAP, 2003
not even possible
not even possible
Silk embroidery, 4” x 4”
Silk embroidery, 4” x 4”
to determine the
to determine the
relation between
relation between
EINSTEIN’S CROSS, 2003
EINSTEIN’S
2003refer to
of CROSS,
the title
ground.
Probably the Clouds
the titleand
refer
to
figure and ground. Probably the Clouds of figure
Silk embroidery, 5.5” x 5.5”
Silk embroidery, 5.5” x 5.5”
the broad,
faintly mottled expanse of light silk. The floating
the broad, faintly mottled expanse of light silk.
The floating
shapes
then
become gaps in the low,�fast-moving cloud cover
shapes then become gaps in the low, fast-moving
cloud
cover
�
ICE BREAKING, 2004
ICE elegance
BREAKING, 2004
of aofwinter
night’s sky. The effortless
of the compoof a winter night’s sky. The effortless elegance
the compoSilk weaving, 40” x 68”
Silk weaving, 40” x 68”
sition
recallsand
not only Richter, but Jonsson’s materials and
sition recalls not only Richter, but Jonsson’s
materials
palettelandscape
underscore a resemblance to classic Chinese landscape
palette underscore a resemblance to classic Chinese
painting and calligraphy.
painting and calligraphy.
04 �
angle 18
Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson
04 �
Photos: Michael Loderstedt
Photos: Michael Loderstedt
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Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jonsson
Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jonsson
@ MOCA Cleveland @ MOCA Cleveland
angle 18
angle 18
Angle magazine issue 18
Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson
� 05
angle 18
� 05
Angle magazine issue 18