Vija Celmins at the Met

When Nature and Memory Call

Image above: Big Sea by Vija Celmins; Cover Story Image: Shell by Vija Celmins

BY: Sarah Sunday

Vija Celmins: To Fix the Image in Memory

For the first time in 25 years, the Latvian-American artist, Vija Celmins, is showcasing her latest retrospect. Within the scope of her time, Celmins has taken part in forty solo exhibitions and has gained the deserved respect of a true treasure in the world of art. Hypnotically realistic, many of her paintings leave viewers grasping at whether or not the work is photographic or not. In what she describes as “re-description”, Celmins harnesses the power of photographic likeness as she creates through a range of mediums.

Born in Latvia in 1938, Celmins escaped the country with her family, running from the Soviet Union as it tightened its grip in Europe. After finding no safety in Germany, Celmins and her family sought refuge, and finally peace, in the United States. A child who knew turbulence far before stability, Celmins adapted to her new home, honing in on artwork as a way of expression where her English initially faltered.

To Fix the Image in Memory, Celmins’ current exhibition at the MET Breur, is a collection of the artist’s works from 1964 to the present. Approximately 120 pieces will be on display, showcasing the many different stages and phases of Celmin’s works.

Since her earliest paintings, Celmins has channeled an inherent ability to produce exquisitely quiet and subtle creations. Her work pertains to both the natural and the man-made. A recurring theme is of natural surfaces; the sharp caps of ocean waves, cracked and parched desert floors, a smattering of stars blanketing the sky. Some pieces lean in for a closer look, allowing one to observe the intimate surface of a pocked shell or the raindrop-laced webs of a spider.

The other façade of her work is that of everyday inanimate objects, many of which you would find in your home. Simplicity is at large within the images of a single pencil, an envelope torn open, or a lonesome space heater. These commonplace objects are set upon a background lacking color or detail, creating a clear point of focus that attracts the eye.

One of her more multi-faceted projects included collecting eleven various rocks, all unique and different from one another. With meticulous detail, Celmins recreated each rock by first creating a bronze cast, and second, by repainting it to look as realistic as its real-life twin. The photographs that were captured of the rocks side by side are incredible, as it is completely impossible to discern which is the original and which is the copy. The viewer is left leaning in and examining more closely than one normally would, a piece of art in itself.

To Fix the Image in Memory will be on display at the MET Breur until January 12, 2020.