'Evolve' is a breathtaking sculpture which Rasmussen designed to be as large as her kiln could manage and can be seen as a progression from her earlier monumental 'Morphogenesis'. Exploring...
'Evolve' is a breathtaking sculpture which Rasmussen designed to be as large as her kiln could manage and can be seen as a progression from her earlier monumental 'Morphogenesis'. Exploring ideas of growth and the transition from uniform mathematical structures to organic, free-flowing forms, Evolve is a remarkable cuboid work that builds inwards from a regulated external carapace to an impulsive inner energy. This energy is emphasised by the fiery red to luminous orange graduated colour, a recent and exciting departure seen in a number of works in this exhibition along with the discovery of two new coloured slips seen in the works 'Impetus' and 'Momentum'.
Merete Rasmussen works mainly in stoneware and hand builds her pieces using the coil technique. She enjoys the challenging nature of both the material she works in and the complex structures she builds, which despite their apparent fragility and complicated contours, hold their own shape with poise and elegance. Talking about the wider interests in her work Merete says:
"I am interested in the way one defines and comprehends space through physical form. My shapes can represent an idea of a captured movement, as a flowing form stretching or curling around itself, or the idea can derive from repeated natural forms or even complex mathematical constructions. Different form expressions appeal to me and results in my continuous exploration with many different variations: soft but precise curves, sharp edges, concave surfaces shifting to convex; the discovery and strength of an inner or negative space. I am intrigued by the idea of a continuous surface, for example with one connected edge running through an entire form."
Merete Rasmussen was born in Copenhagen and brought up in Sweden. Returning to Denmark to study at the Designskolen Kolding, she was inspired by the iconic designs of fellow Danes, Arne Jacobsen and Verner Panton. During her studies she travelled widely with the sculptural sand dunes of Namibia having a particularly potent effect. Rasmussen has exhibited widely and her work is held in a number of public collections including The Victoria and Albert Museum, The National Museum of Scotland, the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, the National Fund of Contemporary Arts, France, the Crafts Council Collection, UK and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Pangolin London is delighted to represent Merete Rasmussen in the UK.