Karena Nomi - Losing Momentum

Karena Nomi is a Glasgow based artist who has worked collaboratively with
musicians and installation artists. She graduated from the MFA at Glasgow
School of Art and since then has been involved in exhibitions locally and
internationally. She has shown work at the Intermedia Gallery's space within the CCA and taken part in a group exhibition in Denmark. Nomi also
collaborated with musicians as part of the InerAct 2006 festival in
Copenhagen.

This show is quiet and understated; the background hum from the series of
televisions and DVD players is the perfect soundtrack to the increasingly
cold temperatures outside. Each television shows a different interior
space - at first they seemed dulled by the reflection of the sun coming
through the gallery windows but on a second glance it becomes clear these
images are recordings of blank screens. The interiors we see are the rooms
that the televisions are in, but instead of the room being the dwelling of
the viewer it has been flipped around and the room is now the subject. The
layers of process and imagery have created a very subtle result, reminiscent of an un restored renaissance painting.

The plot thickens, as in the sunlight of the gallery the exhibition and the viewer are reflected in the screen, along with large geometric wall paintings which are the other elements of this solo show. Untitled (studio paint) use matte emulsion - the same medium that creates the blue screen effect. Despite their boldness, there is always the possibility they could be blanked out. Much like the reflections on the TV screens, they represent a space, but a space that is not there.

The work in this exhibition has many layers within its apparent
simplicity. However, the immediate information is too vague and the viewer
needs a push to understand exactly what the work is. Because of the
delicate and subtle nature of this work I feel it would benefit from being
exhibited in an immaculate gallery. It is a blessing that spaces like the
Project Rooms exist and it would be even better if there was more funding
available to support them.