The second tasting shows a series of drawings made with a fine pen and correction fluid, delving into the interplay between being and creation. The drawings are a contemplative retreat into past events, a slow revelation, both physical and subjective. Visual narratives that celebrate moments with others and honour the space of solitude.

Rooke approaches drawing through a diary process, using the medium as a space to show private existence to the public. Many of the smaller works in the exhibition are drawings of experiences and images recorded during her travels around Northern Europe in 2019-2020, including the artist's three-month residency at the SÍM guest studio. These works blend with newer moments to form a whole that invites us to pause for a moment and reflect on the fleeting instants and the fleeting flow of time in our immediate surroundings.

Reflections and windows, the feeling of looking in or out are common themes in the drawings. Rooke scrutinises reflections and colours in a flower vase or a mirror, noting the subtle shifts of light throughout the day or the glow of electric lighting. In the process, she often refers to photographs, drawing being a method to deepen the perception of the scene. She gets to know the moment through repeated evocation, observation and processing.

Although Rooke's drawings engage with self-perception and how we present ourselves through our environment, we see friends slipping into the mix. How do we experience ourselves in our own space? How is the self experienced amongst others? The viewer is invited to observe the artist's perspective, but also becomes a witness to watching themselves.

Jennifer Rooke (b. 1990) is an artist from Melbourne/Naarm in Australia, with a BA in Fine Art (Honours) from Monash University and a BA in Fine Art from RMIT University. Although her work is primarily centred on drawing, she also paints and works with print, installations and performance.

Rooke has participated in workshops at the Arteles Creative Center, Finland; SÍM Residency, Iceland; and the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery, Australia. Her solo exhibitions include Flatland, NGBE Gallery; A Journal is Written on the Pulse of the Moment, First Site Gallery; Wish you were here…, Mailbox Art Space; and Concealment and Disclosure, Seventh Gallery. She has participated in group exhibitions in Australia and internationally, and has self-published colouring books.

The exhibition opening will be on Thursday, 22nd August from 18:00-20:00 and all are welcome!

Other opening times:

Friday 23 August 13:00 – 18:00
Saturday 24 August 12:00 – 17:00
Sunday 25 August 14:00 – 17:00

The event is sponsored by the Culture and Tourism Committee of the City of Hafnarfjörður.

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The Second Tasting presents a series of fineliner pen and Copic marker drawings that explore the interplay between the act of living and the creation of art. The drawings return to past events with attentive reflection; slowly developed over time, both physically and conceptually. These visual narratives celebrate moments shared with others and also hold reverence for spaces of solitude.

Rooke approaches drawing as a diaristic process, using this medium as a space to perform the private self to a public audience. Many of the smaller works in this exhibition are drawn from experiences and imagery recorded during her travels in Northern Europe over 2019-2020, including a three-month stay at SÍM Residency. These works mingle with more recent moments, forming a body of work that invites contemplation of transient moments and the subtle shifts of time within our personal environments.

Reflections and windows, a sense of looking in or looking out, are a common motif throughout the drawings. Rooke carefully studies the reflections and colours in a vase of flowers or a mirror, marking the subtle transition of daylight or the glow of artificial light. Often referencing photos in her process, the act of drawing is a means to properly see the scene and learn about the moment as she returns over a number of sessions to observe and work out her depiction.

While Rooke's drawings often focus on self-perception and how we present ourselves through our surroundings, we see that friends also begin to enter the compositions. How do we see ourselves in our own personal space and how do we see ourselves among others? Viewers are invited to share the artist's perspective and also witness the process of looking at oneself.

Jennifer Rooke (b. 1990) is an artist from Melbourne/Naarm, Australia who holds a Bachelor of Fine Art (Honours) from Monash University and a Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) from RMIT University. Her practice centres around the medium of drawing but she experiments and works with painting, printmaking, installation and performance.

Rooke has participated in residency programmes at Arteles Creative Center, Finland; SÍM Residency, Iceland; and Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery, Australia. Her solo exhibitions have included Flatland, NGBE Gallery; A Journal is Written on the Pulse of the Moment, First Site Gallery; Wish you were here…, Mailbox Art Space; and Concealment and Disclosure, Seventh Gallery. She has participated in group exhibitions in Australia and internationally and has self-published colouring books.

The exhibition opening is on the 22nd of August from 18:00-20:00 and all are welcome!

Other opening hours:

Friday 23rd August 13:00 – 18:00
Saturday 24th August 12:00 – 17:00
Sunday 25th August 14:00 – 17:00

The event is sponsored by the Culture and Tourism Committee of Hafnarfjordur.