Irene Kopelman
Sampling Greens, 2012
On loan to the exhibition Irene Kopelman, a solo exhibition at Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
06.05.2018—26.08.2018

Curated by: Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy and Samuel Saelemakers

Irene Kopelman, a solo exhibition presents a selection of artworks from four different projects created by the artist between 2012 and 2016. Each of these projects was made during, or after, Kopelman engaged in fieldwork, travelling to comprehend and, ultimately, to render these environments. For nearly two decades, Kopelman analyses with scientific rigor the landscapes and ecosystems of remote places, or, at least, sites that are not easily accessible, from the volcanic islands of Hawaii in the Pacific to the mountainous heartland of Borneo in Asia to the Peruvian rainforest in South America. At each location, she develops a specific method of observation.

Working on-site and spending significant time with her objects of study, whether these are tree lines or the colours of earth, Kopelman creates a system of representation that becomes the basis of her painterly work. She does this, first, through drawings and travelogues made during her expeditions, which later become the basis for this Argentinian artist’s studio-based practice in Amsterdam. Through these different stages of removal, or of distance from an original site of study, and through the inflections made by intuition, the artist represents interpretations of environmental phenomena. Her work is less a matter of document than an occasion to welcome sensuous imagery as imaginations of place.

Sampling Greens originates from the G + W Collection.