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19 May 2011

Vija Celmins

As part of this year's Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival, and in conjunction with ARTIST ROOMS, Gracefield Arts Centre will exhibit 24 dazzling artworks by including one new piece never seen in the UK before.

Born in Latvia in 1938, Vija Celmins and her family emigrated to the United States in 1948. Although beginning her career as an Abstract Expressionist painter, she is now best known for her intricate, monochromatic drawings of a select range of subjects. In 1966 she began to use photographs as the subject for her works, creating what she described as 'impossible images', which remind us of the complexity of the simplest things. These meticulous renderings of the surface of the ocean, expanses of desert, the night sky, or a spider's web as shown above, demonstrate her fascination with the surrounding world. They can take up to a year to complete.

As part of the exhibition Gracefield is running a number of gallery talks, adult art workshops and free family art activity days - contact the gallery on 01387 262084 for full details or visit the Gracefield Arts Centre site.

Opening Hours
Tuesday - Saturday, 10am-5pm admission free. Also open additional hours for the Spring Fling Open Studios weekend, 10am-7pm Saturday 28 May, Sunday 10am-5pm Sunday and Monday 29-30, Café bar also open Sunday and Monday.

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