The series "Arrangements" marks a central stage in Julia Emslander’s development as a painter. It serves as a conceptual and material precursor to her later series "Skinscapes" and lays the foundation for a critical examination of the role of painting as a physical object, a space of perception, and a situational counterpart.

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The works examine static viewing orders, conventions of perception, and the material semantics of painting. In a conscious departure from the digital flood of information and visual overload, Emslander relies on a monochrome, dark color palette, radical reduction, and a high degree of material presence.

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The surfaces of the works—built up through repeated application, removal, and layering of pigments, varnishes, and other materials—take on the function of the image. They react sensitively to changing light, change with the movement of the viewer, and refuse to be interpreted unambiguously. The result is an aesthetic and sensual choreography in which the work is not conceived as complete, but rather as relational: as a field of experience between the work, the space, and the viewer.

"Arrangements" is an ongoing series initially starting early 2020.