Nicolas Martin’s Exhibition Opening
I walked down Falkoner Alle today searching in vain for a chocolate festival with 100% cocoa that I later discovered had relocated to a new venue, Forum, since last year.
As I strode along, warmed in the sub-zero temperatures by my ski pants and hiking boots, I happened to glance in the window of an art gallery from the street.
I pressed my forehead against the cold glass and the paintings called me irresistibly closer. I pushed against the heavy door and beheld the glorious pre-exhibition canvasses leaning up against the walls, spread out in front of me, pulling me in.
The gallery owner came out to meet me and as we spoke, I felt tears flowing down my cheeks. I can’t tell you that I was conscious of any pain. Neither was I aware of any other overwhelming emotion. Yet my cheeks were wet and the tears continued to flow. I asked about the opening and the dealer gave me the information and that I was welcome to attend the following Saturday and meet the artist.
There was a painting of a woman in a bed; I could almost feel the warmth of the crumpled duvet and the feathers inside. The smell of musk and sweet sweat hung in the air as she smiled invitingly.
The second painting that the dealer showed me, of a partly-shadowed homestead was undramatic, despite the light and dark contrasts but the warmth and humanity that permeated the motif was almost palpable.
I don’t remember the other paintings. The dealer informed me that the bedroom painting would be a full-page spread in Politiken the next day; I could see why.
Or rather, I couldn’t SEE why, I could only observe this lachrymous fluid gushing from my eyes without rhyme or reason; a strange and unknown (to me) artist having demonstrated the power he had over my emotions.
If it had that effect on me, it probably had that effect on others too.
See you at 14.00 on Saturday at Oxholm gallery on Pile Alle 25. I’m happy I got an invitation, that I don’t have to gatecrash this one, like I gatecrashed Rufus’s talk at Politiken Plus last week.
Thank you for reading this far.
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