Of what Surrounds me

As visitors walk into the gallery, they are transported into a sacred realm conceived by

artist Mette Tommerup. These four works, made in nature by nature, form a site-specific

installation titled Like the Body of a Flower. Each work reinforces notions of spirituality

and transcendence.

Working outdoors, Tommerup creates color fields with marks produced during

performative actions that allow for a freeing, intuitive process. While her practice is often

organic and unscripted, it derives from deep research and introspection informed by art

history, theory, and literature. Here, Tommerup’s titles are taken from the poetry of Mary

Oliver and come together to form one stanza. “How to stroll through the fields / Like the

body of a flower / Which she adores / Don’t you think that deserves a little thought?” 

How to Stroll Through the Fields (2024) is a nod to the monumental power of light. The

64 canvas squares, presented in a modular grid, allude to sun rays. Within the softly lit

context of this first gallery, the grid installation mimics the presence of a distant sun, with

streaks of gold referring to celestial stars.  Hanging from the ceiling, Like the Body of a

Flower (2024) encourages visitors to feel immersion, as though stepping into an

abstracted field of flowers. Also on view, Which She Adores (2024) and Don’t You Think

That Deserves a Little Thought? (2024) are void-like and expansive, with color gradients

evoking ascension and suggesting an internal spirituality.