Nestled within London’s vibrant art milieu, the NıCOLETTı Gallery is currently the captivating home to a solo exhibition by the Slovenian artist Nana Wolke, thoughtfully christened ‘Wanda’s.’ This captivating exhibition is the product of Wolke’s profound expedition into North Kensington’s Westway Roundabout—an area where the ordinary and the extraordinary converge, and where the transient nature of spaces challenges our understanding of desire and the passage of time.
NANA WOLKE, WANDA’S, Exhibition view. NıCOLETTı Gallery, London, 2023
The exhibition introduces viewers to a new group of paintings and a film installation, all inspired by the happenings at the Westway Roundabout. Wolke’s unique technique involves priming her canvases with a mixture of gesso and construction sand, creating a granular surface reminiscent of low-quality, high ISO images – an artistic representation of digital noise. The limited color palette of ultramarine blue, yellow, magenta, and Cadmium orange, applied straight from the tube, mirrors the artificiality of digital imagery and the vivid lighting of film sets.
In her artworks, Wolke seamlessly blends linearity and circularity, fixed and moving images, inviting viewers to reflect on the complex interplay between shame and desire within these transient spaces. By employing successive procedures of assembly and editing, she challenges conventional notions of time, offering alternative perspectives that linger in the mind long after leaving the gallery.
NANA WOLKE, WANDA’S, Exhibition view. NıCOLETTı Gallery, London, 2023
Wolke’s fascination with ‘non-places,’ a concept coined by French anthropologist Marc Augé, is particularly evident in her work. These are spaces on the outskirts of cities, active while most are asleep, often characterized by their utilitarian nature. The Westway flyover, like the infinite lineups of blocks along Yugoslavian highways where Wolke grew up, embodies this idea of non-places – locations we pass through but do not truly inhabit.
This logic of interface and threshold is woven into the composition and display of Wolke’s pieces. Her paintings capture the identity of her subjects, often obscured by societal signs like branded items or clothing. She focuses on those fleeting moments before or after a situation, using close-ups and crop-outs to invite viewers to reimagine what lies beyond the frame.
NANA WOLKE, WANDA’S, Exhibition view. NıCOLETTı Gallery, London, 2023
Wolke’s fascination with ‘non-places,’ a concept coined by French anthropologist Marc Augé, is particularly evident in her work. These are spaces on the outskirts of cities, active while most are asleep, often characterized by their utilitarian nature. The Westway flyover, like the infinite lineups of blocks along Yugoslavian highways where Wolke grew up, embodies this idea of non-places – locations we pass through but do not truly inhabit.
This logic of interface and threshold is woven into the composition and display of Wolke’s pieces. Her paintings capture the identity of her subjects, often obscured by societal signs like branded items or clothing. She focuses on those fleeting moments before or after a situation, using close-ups and crop-outs to invite viewers to reimagine what lies beyond the frame.
NANA WOLKE, WANDA’S, Exhibition view. NıCOLETTı Gallery, London, 2023
In ‘Wanda’s,’ Wolke cleverly withholds full revelation. Neither the Westway Roundabout nor its enigmatic central figure, Wanda, are entirely disclosed in her paintings. It’s in the accompanying film that the flyover and the charismatic Wanda make their appearance. Titled after its central character, the film unfolds as a narrative, tantalizingly teasing viewers with glimpses of the setting and characters. Much like the paintings, the film keeps its interiority veiled, accessible only through its contours.
Through this enigmatic approach, Wolke invites us to contemplate the limits of representation. Her art reminds us that objects and subjects often reveal only their surface, withholding their inner essence. ‘Wanda’s’ explores the fundamental components that our gaze projects onto the scenes we seek to understand and consume: desire and shame. As viewers, we become voyeurs, our gaze laden with desire, and yet, paradoxically, charged with accusation.
NANA WOLKE, WANDA’S, Exhibition view. NıCOLETTı Gallery, London, 2023
In ‘Wanda’s,’ Nana Wolke crafts an immersive experience that prompts introspection and invites us to navigate the complexities of human desire and the shadows of shame that it casts. Her exploration of transitory spaces challenges our perceptions of time, identity, and the elusive nature of what lies beneath the surface. ‘Wanda’s’ is a thought-provoking journey into the heart of non-places, where the boundaries between reality and imagination blur, leaving us with a profound sense of intrigue and contemplation.
