Waltman Ortega Fine Art presents a solo exhibition by Rune Guneriussen, Quality of Present Interaction. Taking full advantage of the picturesque natural landscapes of his home country Norway, the photographer / conceptual artist creates temporary installations from man-made objects within a natural environment and photographs them. His photographic works create a dialogue about human interaction with nature, inviting the viewer to contemplate the results of this interaction and to reflect on our place in the Passage of Time. The most recent of Rune’s large-format photographs comprise this exhibition, which opens to the public on Sat., March 14, from 5-9 p.m., and remains on view until Thurs., Apr. 30, 2015. The gallery also welcomes patrons to the Collector Preview on Thursday Mar. 12 when gallery will be open until 7 p.m. The artist will be present during the opening hours.
Rune Guneriussen was born in 1977 in Kongsberg, Norway. He studied at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design in England then moved back to Norway where he lives and works today. Alone with his camera in the untouched Norwegian wilderness, the photographs of Guneriussen’s temporary installations are the only indication of human presence. He believes that the human approach to nature is too invasive. Therefore, to remedy that, he assembles his enchanting and ethereal site-specific installations, photographs them, and then takes them apart leaving no trace behind—suggesting a more gentle approach to nature. The artist asserts, “This process involves the object, story, space and most important the time it is made within. It is an approach to the balance between nature and human culture, and all the sublevels of our own existence.”
Rune Guneriussen has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions from the United States to Japan, and at important art fairs, such as Paris Photo. His works can be found in many private and public collections, such as Christian Dior and the Musees de Bayeux in France, as well as St. Olays Hospital and the Centre of Knowledge in Norway. It is perhaps his belief that art should questioning and bewildering as opposed to patronizing and restricting that makes his works so universal. Rather than dictating a way to understand his works, as is the fashion many artists operate today, Guneriussen instead indicates a path understanding the story he presents.