ME, SOUL @ Pembridge Villas
The exhibition ME, SOUL by Latvian artist Laura Grinberga, curated by Celeste Melgar, offers a deeply introspective journey into psychological states, reflecting trauma, healing, and emotional resolution. The exhibition features large installations of blue-stained raw canvas that hang freely, without the confines of traditional frames, creating a compelling interplay with the surrounding environment. These works, with their suspended form, become living elements of the space, shifting subtly with light, shadow, and the viewer’s movement.
Laura Grinberga, ME, SOUL, Installation View, 2024. Photo Courtesy: Michael Franke & the Artist.
Grinberga’s choice of blue as the central colour for the stained canvases evokes a range of emotional and psychological associations. Blue, often linked to calm, melancholy, depth, and introspection, serves as the perfect metaphor for the exhibition’s exploration of trauma and the path towards resolution. The raw, unstretched canvas underscores this theme of vulnerability and exposure. It’s as if these canvases, like open wounds, are laid bare before the viewer, unframed and unprotected, allowing for a raw encounter with the emotions they express.
Laura Grinberga, ME, SOUL Installation View, 2024. Photo Courtesy: Michael Franke & the Artist.
The interaction between the artworks and their environment is one of the most striking aspects of the exhibition. Hung freely, these canvases seem almost weightless, swaying ever so slightly in the space. This freedom of movement not only reflects the transient nature of emotions but also invites viewers to experience the work from multiple angles. The canvas becomes an organic part of the room, changing subtly depending on the perspective, which echoes the fluidity of psychological states the show intends to explore.
The exhibition setting further enhances this dynamic relationship between the artworks and their environment. The space is flooded with natural light during the day, which casts shifting shadows and light patterns onto the canvases, transforming their appearance throughout the exhibition’s open hours. This use of natural light reinforces the exhibition’s themes, symbolizing how trauma and healing are never static, but rather evolving processes, often shaped by external forces.
In the evening, as the natural light fades, the gallery transforms into a warm, still sanctuary, illuminated by soft artificial light. This shift in ambiance provides a quieter, more intimate setting for contemplation. The glow of the warm light emphasizes the texture and fabric of the raw canvas, creating an atmosphere of stillness that invites the viewer to slow down and engage with the work on a more personal, meditative level. The transition from day to night within the exhibition space mimics the emotional cycles of turmoil and tranquillity, reflecting Grinberga’s themes of emotional fluctuation and healing.
Laura Grinberga, ME, SOUL, Installation View, 2024. Photo Courtesy: Michael Franke & the Artist.
What sets ME, SOUL apart is its ability to merge form, space, and emotional resonance into a cohesive sensory experience. The rawness of the material and the minimalistic aesthetic allow the works to breathe and to occupy the room in a way that feels less like an exhibition and more like an emotional landscape. Viewers are not merely passive observers but active participants in this emotional terrain, as the hanging installations respond to their presence, movements, and even the changes in the day’s light.
Grinberga, through her use of colour, material, and space, creates a profound visual metaphor for the ways in which trauma can distort, expose, and eventually heal. Her work asks the viewer to confront their own vulnerabilities and to find resolution in the quiet, shifting spaces between. The combination of her artistry with Melgar’s thoughtful curatorial approach ensures that ME, SOUL is more than an exhibition—it is an immersive exploration of the self, a quiet but powerful reflection on human fragility and resilience.
ME, SOUL by Laura Grinberga, curated by Celeste Melgar, was on from October 6th to November 3rd 2024. To learn more about the artist, visit their website.
Hamish Strudwick
Features Co-Editor, MADE IN BED
