ARTIST OF THE WEEK | Rita Grendze of Geneva

TALENTED ARTIST WORKS ON PROJECT OF MASSIVE SCALE

Geneva artist Rita Grendze finds she is most engaged in her art when her body is involved as much as her mind. It is what draws her to more tactile material-based art processes from weaving to welding to drawing to installation. As a kid, she was always making things out of anything she could find at home. “When written and spoken language fail me,” says Rita. “I feel I can be more honest and more fully myself through making marks on paper or building room-size experiences with straws and colored cord.”

Amongst Rita’s many creations, one of her favorite accomplishments was an installation she made for the National Library of Latvia. Made entirely on site over five weeks in Latvia, the piece is made of recycled books that have been manipulated to look like traditional Baltic tablecloths. “A project of this scale is very challenging,” she says. “It was an intense process, but I am very pleased with the results.”

Rita’s large-scale installation work is largely funded by the sale of her drawings, as well as by individual patrons and grants. To view more of Rita’s work and purchase her drawings, visit www.ritagrendze.com and find her on Instagram at @ritagrendze.

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