In this new series, Christine Rasmussen explores the uncertainty and possibility of empty urban landscapes that hover between familiar and imagined. Searching for clarity amidst the chaos of both inner and outer worlds, she uses meditative brush strokes and expansive skies to evoke moments of calm.
For Rasmussen, in-between spaces are symbolic of the ambiguity in life. Common and unremarkable spaces go unnoticed in everyday routines. In taking the time to first notice and then paint these spaces in slow-drying oils, Rasmussen attunes herself – and perhaps the viewer – to slow down, orient, and shift perspective. The work is grounded in details and familiar motifs: corrugated metal fences, rooftops, and alleyways.
While Rasmussen’s paintings have always been devoid of people, the empty cityscapes became eerily prescient during the global pandemic lockdowns. In the disorientation of the last 18 months, Rasmussen’s gaze shifted, increasingly looking skyward. Tranquil streets meet the grandeur of stratifying clouds and cascading light of sunsets, suggesting another kind of in-between space: one of curiosity and wonder. Allowing the sky to take over larger portions of the work, she juxtaposes the vastness and expanse of the sky to the human constructions beneath.
The paintings are a moment in a longer narrative. The implied continuation of the scenes off the sides of the canvas suggests that, like life, the full story is not contained in a single frame. Details invite the viewer to look more closely and bring their own experiences to imagine what lies beyond, what comes after the “and…”.
Christine Rasmussen is an American artist raised in Pakistan, Vietnam and the United States. Now based in Los Angeles, Rasmussen earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in Art Practice and Peace & Conflict Studies. She has exhibited in multiple juried exhibitions, including at George Billis Gallery LA, Brand Art Center and LAUNCH LA. Her work is in the collections of the Hilbert Museum of California Art, Imagery Estate Winery and private collections worldwide. Rasmussen’s nomadic upbringing informs her paintings, in which she explores the in-between, hovering between familiar and imagined.
For Rasmussen, in-between spaces are symbolic of the ambiguity in life. Common and unremarkable spaces go unnoticed in everyday routines. In taking the time to first notice and then paint these spaces in slow-drying oils, Rasmussen attunes herself – and perhaps the viewer – to slow down, orient, and shift perspective. The work is grounded in details and familiar motifs: corrugated metal fences, rooftops, and alleyways.
While Rasmussen’s paintings have always been devoid of people, the empty cityscapes became eerily prescient during the global pandemic lockdowns. In the disorientation of the last 18 months, Rasmussen’s gaze shifted, increasingly looking skyward. Tranquil streets meet the grandeur of stratifying clouds and cascading light of sunsets, suggesting another kind of in-between space: one of curiosity and wonder. Allowing the sky to take over larger portions of the work, she juxtaposes the vastness and expanse of the sky to the human constructions beneath.
The paintings are a moment in a longer narrative. The implied continuation of the scenes off the sides of the canvas suggests that, like life, the full story is not contained in a single frame. Details invite the viewer to look more closely and bring their own experiences to imagine what lies beyond, what comes after the “and…”.
Christine Rasmussen is an American artist raised in Pakistan, Vietnam and the United States. Now based in Los Angeles, Rasmussen earned a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in Art Practice and Peace & Conflict Studies. She has exhibited in multiple juried exhibitions, including at George Billis Gallery LA, Brand Art Center and LAUNCH LA. Her work is in the collections of the Hilbert Museum of California Art, Imagery Estate Winery and private collections worldwide. Rasmussen’s nomadic upbringing informs her paintings, in which she explores the in-between, hovering between familiar and imagined.
RESUME
b. 1987 - Karachi, Pakistan
Works in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2009 Bachelor of Arts, Art Practice (with honors) - University of California, Berkeley, CA
Bachelor of Arts, Peace & Conflict Studies - University of California, Berkeley, CA
RESIDENCIES & AWARDS
2021 Culver City Arts Foundation & Helms Bakery Projecting Possibilities Grant
Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs DCA Emergency Relief (AER) Fund
2017 Imagery Estate Winery Artist Label Program, Glen Ellen, CA
Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Healdsburg, CA
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2021 And..., Solo, Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Cityscape Show XI, George Billis Gallery, Culver City, CA
2020 The Cityscape Show X, George Billis Gallery, Culver City, CA
Representational Abstract 3, presented by BG Gallery on ARTSY
2019 The Nothing That Is, Brand Art Center, Glendale, CA
Representational Abstract 2, presented by BG Gallery on ARTSY
Agglomeration, 2-person, Keystone Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Essex's Los Angeles Invitational, George Billis, Culver City, CA
Fenomenal, Solo, LAUNCH LA, Los Angeles, CA
Memories on Location, Keystone Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Startup Art Fair, Hotel del Sol, San Francisco, CA
Spacial Recognition, Finishing Concepts, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Bold Beauty, Pilates & Arts, Los Angeles, CA
She Was Just a Dream, 2-person, Washington Reid Gallery, Culver City, CA
Solidarity, Lamperouge Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Los Angeles Art Association’s 2015 Open Show, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
7th Annual 50|50 Show, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA
SELECTED PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
2020 ShoutOut LA, Local Stories: Christine Rasmussen, artist interview
2019 Art & Cake, A Lot of Nothing Adds Up, review by Lorraine Heitzman
Artillery, Brand Library and Art Center: The Nothing That Is, review by Genie Davis
2018 Voyage LA, Check out Christine Rasmussen’s Artwork, online interview
Singulart, The US painter Christine Rasmussen about femininity and boundaries, online interview
2017 Apéro International Fine Art Catalogue, Reflections (November issue), review by E.E. Jacks
Modern Art Blitz, Episode #63, TV interview with Mat Gleason
2014 University of Florida, Where Are You From? Art Education for Third Culture Kids, by Laura Keeney
SPECIAL PROJECTS
2021 Featured Artist, Projecting Possibilities, Culver City, CA, June 11–17.
2020 Juror, Exhibitions Selection Committee, Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA, May 11.
2019 Guest Curator, The Nothing That Is, Brand Art Center, Glendale, CA, Nov 16 – Jan 17, 2020.
Featured Artist, Projection Project LA, Los Angeles, CA, August 7.
Featured Artist, Gallery Day at Imagery Estate Winery, Glen Ellen, CA, August 18.
2018 Guest Curator, Memories on Location, Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, February 17–25.
2016 Guest Curator, Blank Canvas 5, Washington Reid Gallery, Culver City, CA, Dec 10–Jan 10, 2017.
Works in Los Angeles, CA
EDUCATION
2009 Bachelor of Arts, Art Practice (with honors) - University of California, Berkeley, CA
Bachelor of Arts, Peace & Conflict Studies - University of California, Berkeley, CA
RESIDENCIES & AWARDS
2021 Culver City Arts Foundation & Helms Bakery Projecting Possibilities Grant
Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs DCA Emergency Relief (AER) Fund
2017 Imagery Estate Winery Artist Label Program, Glen Ellen, CA
Chalk Hill Artist Residency, Healdsburg, CA
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2021 And..., Solo, Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
The Cityscape Show XI, George Billis Gallery, Culver City, CA
2020 The Cityscape Show X, George Billis Gallery, Culver City, CA
Representational Abstract 3, presented by BG Gallery on ARTSY
2019 The Nothing That Is, Brand Art Center, Glendale, CA
Representational Abstract 2, presented by BG Gallery on ARTSY
Agglomeration, 2-person, Keystone Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Art Essex's Los Angeles Invitational, George Billis, Culver City, CA
Fenomenal, Solo, LAUNCH LA, Los Angeles, CA
Memories on Location, Keystone Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Startup Art Fair, Hotel del Sol, San Francisco, CA
Spacial Recognition, Finishing Concepts, Los Angeles, CA
2016 Bold Beauty, Pilates & Arts, Los Angeles, CA
She Was Just a Dream, 2-person, Washington Reid Gallery, Culver City, CA
Solidarity, Lamperouge Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2015 Los Angeles Art Association’s 2015 Open Show, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
7th Annual 50|50 Show, Sanchez Art Center, Pacifica, CA
SELECTED PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
2020 ShoutOut LA, Local Stories: Christine Rasmussen, artist interview
2019 Art & Cake, A Lot of Nothing Adds Up, review by Lorraine Heitzman
Artillery, Brand Library and Art Center: The Nothing That Is, review by Genie Davis
2018 Voyage LA, Check out Christine Rasmussen’s Artwork, online interview
Singulart, The US painter Christine Rasmussen about femininity and boundaries, online interview
2017 Apéro International Fine Art Catalogue, Reflections (November issue), review by E.E. Jacks
Modern Art Blitz, Episode #63, TV interview with Mat Gleason
2014 University of Florida, Where Are You From? Art Education for Third Culture Kids, by Laura Keeney
SPECIAL PROJECTS
2021 Featured Artist, Projecting Possibilities, Culver City, CA, June 11–17.
2020 Juror, Exhibitions Selection Committee, Angels Gate Cultural Center, San Pedro, CA, May 11.
2019 Guest Curator, The Nothing That Is, Brand Art Center, Glendale, CA, Nov 16 – Jan 17, 2020.
Featured Artist, Projection Project LA, Los Angeles, CA, August 7.
Featured Artist, Gallery Day at Imagery Estate Winery, Glen Ellen, CA, August 18.
2018 Guest Curator, Memories on Location, Keystone Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, February 17–25.
2016 Guest Curator, Blank Canvas 5, Washington Reid Gallery, Culver City, CA, Dec 10–Jan 10, 2017.
