TAPESTRIES AND DRAWINGS – JAN GROTH

PRESS RELEASE

Jan Groth’s art is defined by an ascetic power. The extreme reduction of expressive means results in works that become memorable, abstract, and tangibly present “signs.”

The core of the exhibition comprises 11 tapestries created between 1981 and 1988 in collaboration with Benedikte Groth. This part of the exhibition was realized in cooperation with the Randers Kunstmuseum in Denmark, where it was displayed over the turn of the year. A publication accompanying the exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Groth’s tapestries from these years.

As Jan Groth’s work has only been previously exhibited in Finland in 1979 through Nordic Culture Center exhibitions in Helsinki and Tampere, the current exhibition in Pori also features another key element of Groth’s art: his drawings. Fifteen works from the 1980s are included, serving as independent pieces that create an intriguing counterpoint to the wall hangings. These drawings significantly enrich the understanding of Groth’s recent themes and his serial approach to art.

Jan Groth was born in Stavanger, Norway, in 1938. He continues to live and work partly in Norway and partly in New York, where he also teaches at the School of Visual Arts. Since the 1960s, Groth has built a remarkable international career in the United States and Europe with his large-scale tapestries and the parallel body of drawing works.