Frieze London 2021

Gagosian is pleased to announce a solo presentation of new works by Jennifer Guidi at Frieze London 2021. Titled Infinite Waves, it brings together nine paintings and nine works on paper that take inspiration from nature and the essential role it has played during the pandemic. Infinite Waves will be on view at the fair, and a selection of the works will be available online in the Frieze Viewing Room and on the Gagosian website.

The new paintings come from a body of work called Painted Universe Mandalas, in which Guidi covers the raw linen canvas with an even coat of sand. The trowel used for application leaves behind lines that form an initial layer of repeated pattern and texture. The second layer is a painted ground of thin oil washes and line drawings. In these new works, Guidi approaches the grounds in a new way, thinking of each as its own impressionistic landscape painting, drawing from the work of Claude Monet and Pierre Bonnard. The final step in the process is painting the marks of the mandala, unifying the layers, and activating the colors to create the optical vibration felt when one stands in front of the works.

Each painting is both an independent meditation on color and energy as well as part of a larger whole. Guidi chose the top mandala colors based on how they would interact with each other within the installation, having selected the underlying colors intuitively for how they would react with the surface. Guidi notes that through this process she was “searching for a way to have a freeing part of the overall structure.”

Guidi has employed a similar approach at a more intimate scale for the group of works on paper. The series was conceived alongside the paintings and plays an important role in the overall installation of Infinite Waves.

The source of Guidi’s inspiration for these new works was nature and the challenge of capturing its ever-changing light and color. “They are about creating space and mood through color,” she notes. “I think of them as a celebration of life after a dark time—a dark time of the pandemic where nature was a main source of consolation.”

To receive a pdf with detailed information on the works, please contact the gallery at inquire@gagosian.com. To attend the fair, purchase tickets at frieze.com.

Download the full press release (pdf)