ERHAPS the most astonishing exhibit of this show awaits you in the central area of the Playfair Gallery, where thousands of iridescent nylon cords hang from a rigid frame which stretches from balcony level to floor.
Powerful seems an inadequate word to describe the result - the effect is immensely peaceful and inspiring, but also exhilarating. The cords are weighted by individual steel tubing which sway and chime; their colours are carefully linked so that there is no abrupt change of hue, only a fluid movement.
Ragnhild Monsen's more conventional tapestries are bold statements created using a variety of textures, nylon, plastic, and silk, as well as the more common wool and hemp.
These are large, expressive works, using direct symbolism and commenting on the human condition. Images are distilled to a minimum, increasing their impact. In a work such as From the Darkness swirls of brilliant colour erupt from blackness and you absorb not only the luminous quality of the colours themselves but also the undulations Monsen has created through the layering of different surfaces, achieving a natural rhythm between subject and material.
Other works make their impact in the same way, fusing everything to a single point, as in Bleeding Heart, where a rich, red egg of a heart, surrounded by a thin shell of black and white, has bands of gold radiating around it. The sheer skill and beauty of these works is breathtaking, but it is their emotional effect, one of great peace, that lingers, making Ragnhild Monsen a truly remarkable artist.
Until Wednesday.
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