Yoshii Gallery is pleased to announce the first exhibition of paintings by Finnish artist Nina Roos in the United States. She recently represented her country in the 1995 Venice Biennial and ARS Helskinki exhibitions. Yoshii Gallery will feature four large-scale paintings and seven intimately-scaled works on acrylic plexiglass.

Nina Roos’ paintings on plexiglass confront the tradition of applying paint onto canvas.  One quality that stands out is her command of spatiality.  The surfaces that she creates beautifully balance the relationship between light and space.  The transparency of plexiglass provides an open and airy surface which seems to be illuminated from all sides.  Any markings placed on its surface float like clouds in the sky.  Nina Roos is very successful with this medium, for her large organic forms dissipate into the surface; her shooting sweeps of color are suspended in mid-air.

Art critic Clement Greenberg would have championed this work.  When viewing each piece, one can understand his concept of “modernism” where the painting speaks directly of the application of paint onto its surface; painting that is essentially about itself and then extends past the limitations of its scale and surface.  Roos’ works have an infinite depth and breathy quality that exceeds the human condition and depicts a beauty that exists outside the realm of words and phrases.

Although this art does not make references to nature, the viewer is inherently reminded of lush expanses that we can only experience outdoors.  Their simple beauty is created by blending soft forms and true, rich color.  Nina Roos is determined to create art without reference and meaning, a surface of beauty which beckons the viewer to create their own meaning, their own dialogue.

Nina Roos affects the enviornment that she exhibits in.  Her work expands the size of the viewing area.  The viewer is catapulted to a large open space, into their imagination, a place where they can relax and appreciate a simple beauty.