PARSONS FINE ARTS

The Textile Arts Center is pleased to present Dying Ocean Metal Waterfall, a solo exhibition of work by Danish artist Julie Lænkholm in the TAC Project Space. The exhibition is curated by Hannah Parker and support has been provided by The Danish Arts Foundation.

Exhibition Event:

Textile Hour Series: Wednesday, March 30th at 2:00 pm (Instagram Live) – Join artist Julie Lænkholm and curator Hannah Parker for a conversation about Dying Ocean Metal Waterfall and a discussion of Lænkholm’s practice.

Julie Lænkholm’s practice is rooted in the ideas and methods inherent to collective learning. Investigating techniques and practices traditionally passed down orally from generation to generation, Lænkholm explores a predominantly female-driven history and knowledge which has been forgotten or otherwise actively ignored. Through her practice, she aims to bring these lost narratives back into focus, and place them within a contemporary discourse.

Lænkholm’s works are often textile based. She begins with fabrics such as wool, silk, or denim, and treats the materials using natural, plant based dyes and needle felting techniques sourced from her ancestral village Húsavík in Iceland. With a painterly approach, Lænkholm uses her archive of naturally dyed wool (also from Húsavík) as form of paint, and the needle felting technique as her brush – stitching life into the silk. In this way, Lænkholm connects the present with the ancient, and allows her works to function as portals—unlocking an atmospheric presence that can be readily sensed.

The works in Dying Ocean Metal Waterfall are inextricably intertwined with the natural world. Some of the fabrics were dyed by Lænkholm in the ocean at sunset, and are infused with the ebbing light of the setting sun. Others were wrapped around the trees, and bear unique marks granted in an exchange between the fabric and the tree trunks. In one work, even the trace imprint of a spider’s web remains. The imagery contained within these pieces is inspired by interstellar nurseries, the year of the Tiger, as well as more abstract elements of nature.

Additional inspiration for Lænkholm’s work has come from the nordic tradition of using songs and rhythm to share patterns, prior to the use of written language. Following in her desire to breathe new life into lost practice, Lænkholm sang Angelic Song language while weaving the metal piece in the exhibition– striving to imbue the work with the frequencies of the song. Seen in both Nordic myths and the teachings of Renaissance alchemist and astronomer to Queen Elizabeth I, John Dee, Angelic Song language allows the singer to channel the higher energies for the collective good.

Lænkholm has further explored the tradition of songs and collective breath in through group performances. As part of Dying Ocean Metal Waterfall, Lænkholm presented a poem poetry potion sung by friends at the opening celebration Wednesday, March 2nd.

Julie Lænkholm (b. 1985, Denmark) lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark. Recent solo exhibitions of her work have presented by Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark; Matsushima Bunko Museum, Matsushima, Japan; Tranen Space for Contemporary Art, Hellerup, Denmark; VI Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark; RØM Artist Space, Copenhagen, Denmark; Sodu4, Vilnius, Lithuania; and Húsavík Musejm, Húsavík, Iceland. She is a graduate of Parsons, The New School of Design in New York. Laenkholm is also trained as a cardiac nurse and brings an understanding of medicine and science to her practice, recently finishing a three year degree in Nordic Plant medicine.

Press Contact: Hannah Parker hannahmparker@gmail.com

Dying-Ocean-Metal-Waterfall-Exhibition-Press-Release

Gallery Hours: Sat-Thursday, 11am-7pm

_{Accessibility information: TAC is located on the first floor of 505 Carroll Street, in Brooklyn. The exhibition is accessible through steps at TAC’s main entrance, or through a low incline ramp (not ADA compliant) at street level. Entrance in the studio and the exhibition is free. Chairs with backs are available to guests upon request. There are three non-gender-segregated bathrooms in the studio space: one bathroom is wide and long enough to accommodate a wheelchair; the others are accessible through steps. Neither bathroom has grab bars. TAC is not a scent free space. One of the works in the exhibition includes an essential oil diffuser, which will be activated during the opening reception} 

_{COVID-19 Safety: Use of mask is mandatory at all times inside the TAC gallery and studio. If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have been exposed to someone diagnosed with Covid-19 recently, we ask you to please stay home.}