Metamorphoses Painting

Anne Maria Udsen’s diverse practice ranges from drawing and painting to graphic work and mixed media. A recurring element in her work is an exploration of the continuous cycle of life and death in nature and a fascination for the beauty in decay, which she treats with her own original techniques. This seems to flow like an undercurrent, and a scrutinising look at human behaviour is embedded in many of her works. The fact that the human imprint on our environment is substantial and adverse is often addressed. In the series “Residuum – something remaining” the focus is on beetles, or rather the armor-like exoskeletons that protect their soft, vulnerable bodies and remain intact after the death and decomposition of the organism. Different types of beetles are depicted individually on the large, night-dark canvases, their shadows grounding them in an otherwise free-floating state. Despite the beautiful and delicate rendering of the insects and the dreamy calmness, their long shadows give each portrait an ominous and desolate character, and the low light source, perhaps indicating a setting sun, adds a sense of impending doom. According to several scientific reviews, the rate of insect extinction is accelerating at an alarming speed; by depicting the empty remains, Udsen shines a harsh light on the vulnerability of not only insects, but entire ecosystems that fall victim to negative human impact. By taking a small, almost invisible part of nature and magnifying it to a scale where the only option is to experience it, Udsen venerates the inextricably interwoven web of life, which we are all part of. The metallic surfaces of the paintings, sometimes muted, sometimes vibrant, catch the eye and pull the viewer closer. By employing her own distinctive technique mixing fragments of metallic sheets with oil paint, Udsen invites natural processes into her work. Her interest in transformation, decay and metamorphosis is not only seen in the motifs, but also in the material itself. The unpredictable reaction of the metal to the chemical treatments opens up the works to a synergy of control and accident in the emerging colours, textures and patterns, which she incorporates into her paintings. This liminal territory between figuration and abstraction seems to echo the irregularity and infinite complexity of nature and its myriad of forms. Udsen’s work holds great beauty, but she often explores a more sinister and menacing vision of nature.