Juan Rosenfeldt's Art Blog

Elements of Change - My Current Show in Los Angeles

2012-02-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

As if dioramas from the story of Coelho's Alchemist, the works of Juan Rosenfeldt transform found objects of earthly time into contained experiences of eternal aesthetic contemplation.

In the Elements of Change at TAG Gallery, the Venezuelan-born Rosenfeldt creates a visual correlation to Borges' magical realism suffused with the surrealism of Meret Oppenheim, and Joseph Cornell.

In examining the delicate balances of computer parts, butterflies, stamps and string, we discover the fragile nature of our existence and the sheer wonder of it's fruition.

The show runs from february 28 until March 24, 2012
Opening reception Saturday March 3rd from 5 till 8 PM.

TAG Gallery, Bergamot Station

2525 Michigan Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90404

lightness of being

2011-11-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

This assemblage represents an allegory for the spiritual journey as depicted by the shamanic traditions. Pointing to no particular nation or culture, it is about the journey that reconnects a being with his or her divine origin. Like all alchemical processes, it is towards the dense dark shadow aspects that the path initially leads to. At the top of the piece we see a medicine circle, created to protect and invoke auspiciousness, as well as safe passage.

The floating bone represents spirit infused into matter, light merging with the shadow, allowing a completion of the archetypical journey. In the lightness of being we come to realize we are spirits having a human experience.

Incidentally I was compelled to burn this piece in the fireplace, shortly after completion; I guess there was a full circle to be travelled and I'm really thankful for this only remaining photograph as a reminder...

elements

2011-11-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

Trade Wind Lullaby

2011-10-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

This assemblage and the previous one, "Release the Songbirds" are related by their musical theme. Another symbol, the butterfly inside the oukalele, as well as the feathers, are the yet unsong messages, waiting to ride the air and spread the melody.

The strings are either holding back, or as in "Tradewind", creating connections beyond the traditional means. Of music in silent representation, of instruments playing a new role; a theme I somehow keep coming back to.

release the songbirds

2011-10-26T21:58:00.000-07:00

Pacific

2011-10-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

Voyager

2011-10-21T12:26:00.002-07:00

The image shows a detail of "Voyager", an assemblage I did last year. It's a scale model of the Spirit of St. Louis, the aircraft flown by Lindbergh on his first non-stop solo trans-Atlantic flight in 1927.

Discovery and exploration, reaching new frontiers are inspirational themes for most of us, whether artists or scientists. For me the big theme is the conquest of fear, and as I travel on this path, I feel I'm gathering "visas", "stamps" and "souvenirs" in the form of acquired experience and wisdom in my internal landscape.

With this piece I tried to establish levels to this experience and the interconnection between fixed points and the trajectory, between the desire and the magnetic north.

The Eye of the Storm

2011-10-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Always a source of fascination is the idea of a calm place within a raging and chaotic situation. This concept helped me in meditation practice to find a central core, just like the eye of a hurricane, that almost impossible stillness from which you could perceive the fury of the world spinning at a distance.

This assemblage doesn't intend to be literal to this idea, but more of a homage to natural forces, the central character of a sea urchin submerged in water. Surrounding the urchin are copper plates that in this picture have an eerie reflection, almost electrifying. I think this was caused by the fact the assemblage wasn't photographed, rather scanned, therefore different lights and optics came into play.

strain energy

2011-10-21T12:10:00.001-07:00

I admire portrait photographs of weathered faces of beings that work/live in the outdoors. Edward Curtis has an extensive work in capturing the faces of the last Native American warriors in the 19th century. Their faces are maps, every wrinkle a marker of an experience.

Collage making to me has this quality where distress is beautiful. I may leave pieces outside in the open and have the weather participate in the process; decay, decomposition are like hymns of the soul, where character has evolved.

star house

2011-10-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Detail showing starfish submerged in polymer resin.

2011-06-05T16:54:00.000-07:00

collage: floating glass, watercolor & carved wood

voices

2011-06-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Stones from the bluffs of La Jolla. The textural language these particular pieces have brought to my life are rich and inspiring; though hard to tell with this picture. I can almost hear voices coming out of them, speaking age old stories, before the conceptual mind of man was present. What a relief to hear them! Time beyond timeline, looking forwards to working /playing with them in future collages. La Jolla is old spanish for The Jewel...

elements

2011-01-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

These are some contenders, ranging from vegetation to fossils. Future projects, mainly collages, materialize by disparate elements put together, each combination is carefully considered until a harmonious composition is achieved. Found some great driftwood on the coast the other day, the rugged beaches up the Pacific Coast Highway become gold mines of weathered scraps of wood after the storms.

The ah-hah of the beginning

2011-01-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

So as far as I can remember, the passion to create has been there. However about 10 years ago I felt a renewed commitment and then this name, "heliomovil", just appeared. Helios comes from the Sun in greek, movil, has several connotations, like "movement" or "intention", in spanish.

It made sense, even the fact that the Sun is "fixed" in our Newtonian concept of our Solar System, everything revolves around it. But does it? The Sun revolves around the Milky Way at the staggering speed of 45,000 miles per hour.

I see this also as the analogy of Spirit in Art, the movement or intention of the Light, of our inspiration, our curiosity and our passion in the expressive process. As the Sun, we nourish those seeds that become part of our creative garden.

I made a short form video in 2002 called Heliomovil, a frantic stream of consciousness, but in it's complexity I found the simplicity within the perspective. You can see it here, if you like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sruh-aNOGQ4

Then in the summer of 2005 for the first I was visiting my ancestral home of Estonia. On the night of June 24th it really came together, the summer solstice! I had never experienced this, the Sun never set, I was up all night and I wrote some thoughts in my diary regarding the longest day and the longest night which are drawn by the eliptical orbit of Earth.

June 24th is also the celebration of San Juan, in Spain, were I lived for 20 years, huge bonfires are created. You discard and burn objects that no longer are needed. La Nit de Sant Joan, in Barcelona, you have roaring fires in the streets, it's quite impressive.

And that's how in a very clear way I felt a new purpose, and this blog and my new site are very much part of. If only reflecting a renewed contract with myself and now I'm happy to share with you.