Finnish visual artist and writer Josefina Nelimarkka is presenting her work together with Italian photographer Vittorio Gui this month. The project climaxes in the opening of London Studio #2 at Ncontemporary 8 July — second part of the gallery’s studio exhibitions dedicated for foreign artists.

Nelimarkka is a London and Helsinki based artist who’s paintings and installations bring the feeling of flowing water to the viewer’s mind. The strong presence of nature in her work was the theme that caught Ncontemporary’s curator Emanuele Norsa’s attention for Deferentials.

Renowned for her wet paintings, Nelimarkka’s working method is characterized by the idea of never-ending change: A painting that will not be finished is a long-lasting, continuous process. It keeps on taking different forms — just like water.

”From my point of view what I do is material thinking,” she describes, and further explains her approach: ”Categorising, organising, sorting — it’s artistic and scientific work.”

Her work escapes definitions as it moves in between worlds of different methods, such as wet painting, documentary photographs, cinematographic routes, digital archives, textual maps and tinted textiles.

In Deferentials, the series of works curated for London Studio #2, are made through colouring, a process Nelimarkka finds intriguing in its comprehensiveness. Another essential aspect she highlights behind the planning work of the exhibition is the important mindset and place for many: the garden.

”I’ve planned the exhibition experience to be like visiting a garden: there’s a sort of a route,” she says.

”Although the works are, in fact, quite abstract, there’s close-up impressions of gardens hidden in them — or landscapes, that make the point of reference disappear.”

Since the reference point vanishes, the viewer can imagine the objects to be of whichever size.

”The idea of subtle change fascinates me, because growth doesn’t always have to be visible. In the winter, the garden sleeps but stays alive — change doesn’t have to be very radical to exist.”

The idea of gardens — imaginative and real ones — suits Nelimarkka’s works well.

”They are places for experimental investigation.”

Private view 8 July 6.30PM at 21 Montpelier Street, Knightsbridge, London. The dialogue of Nelimarkka and Gui’s works can be seen 9 July — 20 September. Viewings upon request.
ncontemporary.com

Josefina Nelimarkka also published her first novel this year. More information about the experimental prose of Notes notes Not Completed Sentences, and other projects of the artist on her webpage