Karina Bergman: Ligaments & Ligatures

×

Expand

Karina Bergmans, “Bloodletting,” 2008

wire, wool, string, Styrofoam, tulle and assorted textiles, 68” x 26” x 12” (courtesy of the artist)

Opening Reception: Friday, January 24th at 7pm. Free admission, all ages are welcome to attend. Both artists will be in attendance.

Karina Bergman:  Ligaments & Ligatures.

Our most basic concerns as human beings are communication and the body. A ligature refers to the typographic concept of two letters fused together to form a new letter (æ).  Ligaments are connective tissue in the body, joining bone to bone to form a joint.  The exhibition, Ligaments and Ligatures, connects textile organ sculptures with word association to common diseases.  A tension is created by the seriousness of the subject matter and the tangibility of the materials.   Lungs, Bloodclot and HeartAttack sculptures represent the basis of our human organism:  a beating heart, circulating blood and breathing.  These highly efficient bodily functions operate without our conscious thought.   Derived from textile materials, the viewer is confronted with oversized soft sculptures of our internal organs, demonstrating the mechanisms and complexities of our biological systems, usually unseen.  I am inspired by the intersection between ar and science.  By converging the themes of communication and the body, I create cross disciplinary installations merging art and science.  Themes in my work are based on our collective experiences of language, communication, text and play.  I thrive on redirecting the original purpose of material and recontextualizing it through a conceptual idea.  My work presents a didactic opportunity exploring human fallibility and the infinite malleability of textiles in sculpture making.  It also connotes a significant affect on a visceral level through the senses of sight and touch.  The use of textiles, material that is omnipresent in our every day, offers an instant tactile connection. 

- Karina Bergmans,  Artist Statement.