Land of Internal Wonders

Natasha Arselan Projects is delighted to present ‘Land of internal wonders’, the show explores the human relationship to nature as a species, questioning; Are we performers, guests, or owners? What are humanities responsibilities to space and how have artist’s relationships with landscape and the documentation of landscape developed throughout history. In line with these questions, the show celebrates and considers the impact nature has on the internal worlds of 4 artists; Alex Appleby, Camilla Marie Dahl, Iseult Perrault and Emmely Elgersma. In early impressionism purity of the optical, all conflicts between nature and art, were expected could be resolved. Only later art instead of nature seemed less compatible and became more about form. In an essay written by John Paul Stonard; he recounts‘Art is a record of our changing encounter with nature, it reveals the truth that our sense of separation is mere illusion’. ‘We are a tiny part of a greater whole. Art cannot stand in competition with nature…Home & landscape shape our identities, not just structure we live in but landscape surrounding us.’ An allegory that runs through Camilla Marie Dahl’s painting. Seen in the work ‘self sufficient chicken’ an ideal environment for the animal - free roaming in an empty field at the artist’s home, no predators in sight, the sun warming her wings. Each morning, trotting out of their coop in search of food. There is always food available to them in their coop, but they prefer to roam the fields and scratch and peck, imagining themselves self-sufficient, do we play a role according to the backdrop of our landscape? Both Dahl and Emmely Elgersma pursue sculptural effects in their practice - similarly to that of the old masters, whom by doing so, taught them lessons in realism, in line with the medieval view of the world ratified the common sense notion of space as free and open, Clement Greenberg cites in a critical essay written in 1976. Is this still our view of the world? Are we more or less reliant on landscapes given the technology we are surrounded by, forcing us to be inauthentic that we are merely performing according to our environments; A consistent theme throughout the work of Iseult Perrault. Who explains; ‘the notion of landscape is both universal and individual: a novel hybrid landscape emerges, which turns human spectators into actors of a new environment. These actors may worship landscapes, but their desire for the exotic and the ever lasting need to discover new ones fuels overconsumption and eventually lead to their disappearance…Using painting as a medium I aspire to question observers on what the concept of landscape means today and on what it will mean tomorrow in light of the rising challenges to preserve them.’ Perrault’s perspective is skewed, uncanny flattened and saturated as overlapping shapes push towards the front of the canvas in vivid layers, framed as movie takes & intimate windows into her inner world. Perrault, who descends from a family of architects pays much attention to detail framing each work with unique natural frames, They function like a diptych. The frames objectify the painting, the empty space allows us to project ourselves, the frame gives form, a found object sits in the space between the painting and the frame adding causing the viewer to create potential narratives.  Elgersma’s work blurs the lines between art, and sculpture and design, recycling objects found locally near her London studio and online market place platforms such as ‘Facebook market place’, highlighting the current culture in regards to the relationship between humans, objects and responsibility to the planet. Alexander Appleby depicts plants that deviate from their modern-day counterparts, suggesting a scene that predates human existence, highlighting the fragility of human life and a reminder that we are always in transition. Simultaneously communicating his ideology of co-existing and a sense of responsibility to plants that possess sentience and deserve our care and protection. The lily in white, symbolises surrender, which further emphasises his belief in the importance of nurturing and preserving the natural world. It is worth noting that these artistic decisions are often made subconsciously. Do we still see space as ‘open and free’? What and how does the land of your internal landscape look and feel like?