Lærke Lauta
5 - 17 June 2020


The atmosphere in Lærke Lauta ́s paintings are enigmatic, ambiguous, and dreamlike. Colors vibrate and emulsify. Outlines appear and diminish. Regardless of whether Lauta works figuratively or abstractly, there is always an underlying layer of something distant and never revealing.

The highly diluted paint is characteristic of Lauta's paintings. Although the works are painted with acrylic, they almost resemble watercolors. There are often many hues, where the colors are powerful and contrast-filled, it ́s almost as we see them through a filter giving the paintings a special tinge of the unreal.

In this connection, nature also plays a special role: A sun-yellow spot, hints of horizontal lines or ground, which through their smooth nature resemble water or loose sand. These natural elements do not always harmonize with the characters we can identify in the paintings and the actions that take place between them. Instead, the paintings seem to depict a number of double spaces, where there is no clear boundary between the interior and exterior.

The paintings also bear the mark of Lauta's long-standing work with the film medium, as she is also here working with framing, zooming, and panning. Some parts are sharpened while others appear blurry. This applies not least to the abstract paintings, that Lauta has been working on for the past six months. In some cases, the abstractions have been created by zooming in on details from the figurative works. Others have been created through sketch work, where the sketch has been broken up, and individual parts have been separated.

Lærke Lauta's abstract paintings do not submit titles but are consecutively numbered. Her figurative paintings have titles, that often suggest a larger narrative, adding new layers to the subject rather than explaining it. Just like the blurred areas and hidden layers of the paintings, they help to sharpen our attention and our desire to continue with the narrative ourselves.

Lærke Lauta works with painting, film, and installation. She graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2001, as well as Cooper Union, NYC, and Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam. Lærke Lauta has exhibited at a number of art galleries and museums in Europe, Asia, and the United States, including solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Mills College Art Museum and St. Louis Art Museum. In Denmark, exhibitions include Statens Museum for Kunst, Aros, Brandts, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Charlottenborg, Kunsthallen Gl. Strand, Århus Kunsthal, Esbjerg Kunstmuseum, Randers Kunstmuseum, and Vendsyssel Kunstmuseum.


Text by Kant Gallery


Solo exhibitions in 2020 include Horsens Kunstmuseum and Rønnebæksholm.