Page 88 - Famous

JONNA PEDERSEN

Lives and works in Copenhagen, Denmark
w w w.jonnapedersen.dk
DOING FIX-IT PROJECTS TOGETHER, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 40X32 IN. /100X80 CM. 
URBAN TRIBE: They are similar tribes only in the context of
modernity. It concerns young, well-educated people of both ROAD TO CORONA, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 40X32 IN. / 100X80 CM. 
sexes. Often single, often focusing on developing a career. Busy ROSALINA’S LAST DATE, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 40X32 IN. / 100X80 CM. 
and yet cool. Moving in new directions all the time. Conscious of SOUL MATE MARRIAGE, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 40X32 IN. / 100X80 CM. 
the life they wish to lead. Conscious of lifestyle and design. Self- GOOFING OFF, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 55X33½ IN. /140 X110 CM . 
confident and then, again, not really. All trapped by the unbearable
lightness of being. And by the constant spinning merry-go-round
of globalization. These tribes live in the modern city. They have
their own rituals. They surround themselves with things. Tasteful
things. A world of beautiful surfaces and fascinating façades. It
is a world where it is all about appearance. A world where you
mirror yourself in things and where you must be able to control
your experiences. This is the world which the painter Jonna
Pedersen describes in her latest series of paintings. She does
so with an eminent sense of staging the many codes and the
outstanding icons of modernity. She has a keen eye for modern
compositions and their paradoxical compounds of the modern
and retro. However, her paintings also have other origins. She
is inspired by the concrete painting, furthermore you also sense
an early interest in figuration. To be accurate you would have to
place her paintings within an abstract universe. Initially, Jonna
Pedersen’s paintings may appear to convey a conscious clear
style. Nevertheless, they tease you all the time by containing
strong spontaneous elements. She often balances on a fine
line between the controlled and the spontaneous. In her own
words the paintings are created at the borderline between the
conscious and the unconscious: ‘If you plan your painting too
much something important will be lost’, she once said. That is
why she readily admits that unpredictable occurrences play an
important part in her painting. These occurrences she seizes with
a precise sense of timing and she incorporates these in her works,
creating an inner tension resulting in fascinating paintings. It is
as if she catches the final expression in an unguarded moment.
It is clear that each painting is the result of a dialogue between
artist and the final work. It shows. As the paintings are never too
perfect, even though they can be beautiful. They show a certain
nervous, vibrating energy and it suits them. Jonna Pedersen
moves as a curious flaneur in the throbbing universe of the city.
She paints striking paintings of what she sees and she works on
her motives with originality and nerve. It will be exciting to see
where her curiosity will lead her.
Reflections on paintings by Jonna Pedersen by Ole Lindboe
88
FAMOUS
CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS