James Fuentes
Spanning the 1970s through 1990s, Rensaa’s exquisite paintings are rendered with meticulous applications of thin acrylic washes, bringing forth lush, syncretic visual portals. These works draw from a vast and visionary range of references including Ancient Nordic, Egyptian, and Eastern imagery, in addition to Renaissance, Art Nouveau, and Dada art movements. The Lower East Side iconography is distinctly recognizable as Rensaa’s own. Born in Norway in 1944 and raised in Edmonton, Canada, Rensaa relocated to lower Manhattan in 1979, where she has remained a critical fixture of the downtown community. Although well-recognized for her polymathic contributions, technical abilities, and cultural knowledge, her paintings were seldom shown when she made them. Due to her reclusive nature, the depth and brilliance of Rensaa’s work is only starting to surface and become understood today.
though April 20, 2024